intlieCitpoflfttigork 

THE  LIBRARIES 


GIVEN  BY 

Frederic  B.  Allin 


THE 

MYSTERIES  OF  POPERY  UNVEILED 

IN  THE 

UNPARALLELED  SUFFERINGS 
OP 


AT  THE 

INQUISITION  OF  LISBON. 

TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED, 

THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  INQUISITION  AND  ITS  ESTAB- 
LISHMENT IN  VARIOUS  COUNTRIES  : 

AND  THE 

MASTER  KEY  TO  POPERY 

BY  ANTHONY  GAVIN, 

ONE  OF  THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  PRIESTS  OP  SARAGOSSA 


FN  FIELD: 

PUBLISHED.  GY   ?,   «E  VNCirS.  &  i-Z.  THOMPSON 

HARTFORD — y>-  «.  GOOtSELL,  FR^^TBa. 
182J, 


grederio  B.  AUia 
Jua  21  194.0 


66  56 


PREFACE. 

In  presenting  the  following  work  of  Coustos' 
snfTerings  to  the  public,  it  may  be  remarked  that 
few  publications  have  received  so  extensive  a  pat- 
ronage ;  Avhich  is  fully  evinced  by  the  respectable- 
list  of  subscribers  annexed  to  the  English  copy,  pre- 
faced with  a  dedication  to  his  Royal  Highness  the 
Duke  of  Cumberland,  the  then  Grand  Master. 
This  proving  the  character  and  merit  of  the  narra- 
tive, the  publisher  is  induced  to  believe  that  it  will 
be  equally  acceptable  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
A  work  of  this  nature,  well  authenticated,  must  be 
considered  extremely  interesting :  but  for  the  hon- 
our of  humanity,  it  is  hoped  there  may  never  be  oc« 
rasion  to  draw  the  pen  in  the  same  field. 


INTRODUCTION. 


IT  was  not  vanity  that  induced  me  to  publish 
the  following  accurate  and  faithful  relation  of  my 
sufferings  in  the  Inquisition  of  Lisbon.  A  strong 
desire  to  justify  myself  Avith  regard  to  the  false  ac- 
cusations brought  by  that  tribunal  against  me  ;  as 
well  as  against  the  brotherhood  of  free  masons,  of 
which  I  have  the  honour  to  be  a  member,  were  the 
chief  motives  for  my  taking  up  the  pen.  I  am  like- 
wise very  willing  the  whole  world  should  receive 
all  the  light  and  information  I  am  capable  of  giving, 
concerning  the  shocking  injustice,  and  the  horrid 
cruelties  exercised  in  the  pretended  holy  office. 
Persons  who  live  in  countries  where  this  tribunal  is 
considered  an  abomination,  will,  from  the  perusal 
of  the  following  work,  have  fresh  cause  to  bless  Pro- 
vidence for  not  fixing  their  abode  among  the  Span- 
iards, the  Portuguese,  or  the  Italians, 
1  * 


VI.  INTRODUCTION. 

Such  of  my  readers  as  may  hereafter  reside  in 
countries  where  this  barbarous  tribunal  is  estabhsh- 
ed,  will  here  find  very  salutary  instruction  for  their 
conduct ;  and  consequently  be  less  liable  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  unrelenting  Inquisitors. 

And  should  any  one  yet  have  the  sad  misfortune 
to  become  their  innocent  victims,  he  will  here  be 
taught  to  avoid  the  snares  laid,  in  order  to  aggra- 
vate the  charge  brought  against  him.  These  snares 
ought  the  more  to  be  guarded  against,  as  they  are 
but  too  often  spread  by  the  Inquisitors,  merely  to 
give  a  specious  air  of  justice  and  equity  to  their  ini- 
quitous prosecutions. 

Should  the  relation  which  I  now  offer,  be  found  of 
use  to  the  public,  I  shall  be  happy  in  having  per- 
formed my  duty ;  and  shall  be  still  more  gratified  if 
my  narrative  helps  to  open  the  eyes  of  those  who, 
hurried  on  by  a  blind  zeal,  think  it  meritorious  in 
the  sight  of  Heaven,  to  persecute  all  persons  whose 
religious  principles  differ  from  theirs. 

With  a  view  of  giving  my  readers  all  the  proof 
possible,  in  the  nature  of  things,  that  I  have  really 
undergone  the  tortures  mentioned  in  the  following 
account  of  my  sufferings,  I  have  shewn  the  marks 


INTRODUCTION.  Vll. 

on  my  arms  and  legs,  and  have  likewise  been  exam- 
ined by  Dr.  Hoadley,  Mr.  Hawkins,  and  Mr.  Gary, 
surgeons  ;  and  am  particularly  obliged  to  those  gen- 
tlemen, for  the  leave  they  have  given  me  to  assure 
the  public,  they  are  satisfied  that  the  marks  must 
have  been  the  effect  of  very  great  violence ;  and 
that  they  correspond  exactly  to  the  description  of 
the  torture. 


HISTORY 

OF    THE    SUFFERINGS    OF 

JOHN  COUSTOS, 

IN    THE 

INQUISITION  AT  LISBON. 


^1  AM  a  native  of  Berne  in  Switzerland,  and  a 
lapidary*  by  profession.  In  1716,  my  father  came, 
with  his  family,  to  London  ;  and  as  he  proposed  to 
settle  in  England,  took  the  necessarj  steps  to  be- 
come a  naturahzed  subject. 

After  living  twenty-two  years  in  that  city,  I  went 
at  the  solicitation  of  a  friend,  to  Paris,  where  I 
worked  in  the  galleries  of  the  Louvre.  Five  years 
after,  I  left  this  capital,  and  removed  to  Lisbon,  in 
hopes  of  finding  an  opportunity  of  going  to  Brazil, 
where  I  flattered  myself  that  I  should  make  my  for- 
tune. But  the  king  of  Portugal,  whom  I  address- 
ed with  a  view  to  obtain  permission  for  this  pur- 
pose, being^  informed  of  my  profession,  and  the  skill, 
*  A  dealer  in  stones,  or  gems. 


10  SUFFERINGS    OF 

I  might  have  in  diamonds,  &c.  by  the  advice  of  his 
fcouncil,  refused  my  petition,  upon  the  ground,  as  I 
supposed,  that  it  would  be  improper  to  send  a  for- 
eigner, who  was  a  lapidary,  into  a  country  abounding 
with  immense  treasures,  whose  value,  the  govern- 
ment endeavours  by  all  means  possible  to  conceal, 
even  from  the  inhabitants. 

Whilst  I  was  waiting  for  an  answer  from  court  to 
my  petition,  I  became  acquainted  with  several  sub- 
stantial jewellers,  and  other  persons  of  credit,  in 
Lisbon  ;  who  made  me  the  kindest  and  most  gener- 
ous offers,  in  case  I  would  reside  among  them, 
which  I  accepted,  after  having  lost  all  hopes  of  go- 
ing to  Brazil.  I  was  now  settled  in  the  abovemen- 
tioned  city,  equally  to  the  satisfaction  of  my  friends, 
my  employers,  and  myself ;  having  a  prospect  of 
gaining  not  only  a  support  for  my  family,  but  also 
a  competency  for  old  age  ;  and  which  I  should  un- 
doubtedly have  effected,  had  I  but  escaped  the  cru- 
el hands  of  the  Inquisitors. 

It  is  proper  here  to  observe,  that  the  Inquisitors 
have  usurped  so  formidable  a  power  in  Spain  and 
Portugal,  that  the  monarchs  of  those  kingdoms  are 
no  more,  if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression,  than 
their  chief  subjects.  Those  tyrants  do  not  scruple 
to  encroach  so  fer  on  the  privilege  of  kings,  as  to 
stop,  by  their  own  authority  at  the  post-ofhce,  the 
letters  of  all  whom  they  may  think  proper  to  sus- 
pect.    In  this  manner  was  I  served,  a  year  before 


JOHN    COUSTOS.  11 

the  Inquisitors  had  ordered  me  to  be  seized ;  the 
design  of  which  I  suppose  was  to  see  whether 
among  the  letters  of  my  correspondents,  some  men- 
tion would  not  be  made  of  free-masonry  ;  I  passing 
for  one  of  the  most  zealous  members  of  that  art, 
which  they  resolved  to  persecute,  upon  pretence 
that  enormous  crimes  were  committed  by  its  pro- 
fessors. However,  though  the  Inquisitors  did  not 
find,  by  one  of  my  intercepted  letters,  that  free- 
masonry either  struck  at  the  Romish  religion,  or 
tended  to  disturb  the  government ;  still  they  were 
not  satisfied ;  but  resolved  to  set  every  engine  at 
work,  to  discover  the  mysteries  and  secrets  of  ma- 
sonry. For  this  purpose,  they  concluded  that  it 
would  be  proper  to  seize  one  of  the  chief  free-ma- 
sons in  Lisbon  ;  and  accordingly  I  was  pitched  up- 
on, as  being  the  master  of  a  lodge  ;  they  likewise 
cast  their  eye  on  a  warden,  an  intimate  friend  of 
mine,  Mr.  Alexander  Mouton,  a  diamond  cutter, 
born  in  Paris,  and  a  Romanist.  He  had  been  set- 
tled six  years  before  his  seizure,  at  Lisbon,  in  which 
city  he  was  a  house-keeper ;  and  where  his  integri- 
ty, skill,  and  behaviour  were  such,  as  gaine'i  ."m 
the  approbation  of  all  to  whom  he  was  known. 

The  reader  is  to  be  informed,  that  our  lodges  in 
Lisbon,  were  not  kept  at  taverns,  &c.  but  alternate- 
ly at  the  private  houses  of  chosen  friends.  In  these 
we  used  to  dine  together,  and  practice  the  secrets 
of  free-masonry. 


12  SUEFERINGS  OF 

As  we  did  not  know  that  our  art  was  forbid  in 
Portugal,  we  were  soon  discovered  by  the  barba- 
rous zeal  of  a  lady,  who  declared  at  confession,  that 
we  were  free-masons ;  that  is,  in  her  opinion,  mon- 
sters in  nature,  who  perpetrated  the  most  shocking 
crimes. — This  discovery  immediately  put  the  vigi- 
lant officers  of  the  Inquisition  upon  the  scent  after 
us  :  on  which  occasion  my  friend  Mr.  Mouton  fell 
the  first  victim,  being  seized  in  the  following  man- 
ner. 

A  jeweller,  who  was  a  familiar  of  the  holy  office, 
sent  a  friend,  (a  free-mason  also)  to  Mr.  Mouton, 
upon  pretence  that  he  wanted  to  speak  with  him  a- 
bout  mending  a  diamond,  weighing  four  carrats. 
They  agreed  upon  the  price  ;  but  as  this  was  mere- 
ly an  artifice,  for  our  familiar  to  identify  the  person 
of  the  said  Mouton,  he  put  him  off  for  two  days  ; 
upon  pretence  that  he  must  first  inquire  of  the  own- 
er of  the  diamond,  whether  he  approved  of  the 
price  settled  between  them. 

I  happened  to  be  at  that  time  with  Mr.  Mouton  ; 
a  circumstance  which  gave  the  highest  joy  to  the 
jeweller  ;  finding  that  he  had  got  a  sight,  at  one  and 
the  same  time,  of  the  very  two  free-masons  whom 
the  Inquisitors  were  determined  to  seize. 

At  our  taking  leave,  he  desired  us  to  come  togeth- 
er at  the  time  appointed,  to  which  we  both  agreed. 
The  jeweller  then  made  his  report  to  the  Inquisi- 
tors, who  ordered  him  to  seize  us,  when  we  should 
return  about  the  diamond  in  question. 


JOHN  COUSTOS.  13 

Two  days  being  elapsed,  and  my  business  not 
permitting  me  to  accompany  Mr.  Mouton,  he  went 
alone  to  the  jeweller  to  fetch  the  diamond,  which 
was  computed  to  be  worth  an  hundred  moidores. 
The  first  question  the  jeweller  asked  after  the  usual 
compliments,  was,  'Where  is  your  friend  Coustos?' 
— y^s  this  jeweller  had  before  shown  me  some  pre- 
cious stones,  which  he  pretended  I  should  go  to 
work  upon,  Mr.  Mouton  imagining  he  was  desirous 
of  putting  them  instantly  into  my  hands,  replied, 
"  That  I  was  upon  'Change  ;  and  that  if  he  thought 
proper,  he  would  go  and  fetch  me."  However,  as 
this  familiar,  and  five  subaltern  officers  of  the  In- 
quisition who  were  along  with  him,  were  afraid  of 
losing  half  their  prey;  they  inveigled  Mr.  Mouton 
into  the  back  shop,  upon  pretence  of  asking  his 
opinion  concerning  certain  rough  diamonds.  After 
several  signs  and  words  had  passed  between  them, 
the  oldest  of  the  company  rising  up,  said,  he  had 
something  particular  to  communicate  to  Mr.  Mou- 
ton ;  upon  which  he  took  him  behind  the  curtain  ; 
when,  inquiring  his  name  and  sirname,  he  told  him 
that  he  was  his  prisoner,  in  the  king's  name. 

Being  sensible  tliat  he  had  not  committed  any 
crime  for  which  he  could  incur  his  Portuguse  ma- 
jesty's displeasure,  he  gave  up  his  sword  the  mo- 
ment it  was  demanded  of  him.  Immediately  sev- 
eral trusty  officers  of  the  Inquisition,  called  famil- 
iars, fell  upon  him  to  prevent  his  escaping ;  they 


V. 


14  sUFFEKiNGS    OF 

then  commanded  him  not  to  make  the  least  noise, 
and  began  to  search  him.  This  being  done,  and 
finding  he  had  no  weapons,  they  asked  whether  he 
was  desirous  of  knowing  in  whose  name  he  had 
been  seized  ?  Mr.  Mouton  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive :  "  We  seized  you  (said  they)  in  the  name  of 
the  Inquisition  ;  and,  in  its  name,  we  forbid  you  to 
speak,  or  murmur  ever  so  httle."  Saying  these 
words,  a  door  at  the  bottom  of  the  jeweller's  shop, 
and  which  looked  into  a  narrow  by -lane  being  open- 
ed ;  the  prisoner,  accompanied  by  a  commissary  of 
the  holy  office,  was  thrown  into  a  small  chaise, 
where  he  was  so  closely  shut  up,  (it  being  noon- 
day,) that  no  one  could  see  him.  This  precaution 
was  used  to  prevent  his  friends  from  getting  the 
least  information  concerning  his  imprisonment; 
and  consequently  from  using  their  endeavours  to 
procure  his  liberty. 

Being  come  to  the  prison  of  the  Inquisition,  they 
threw  him  into  a  dungeon,  and  there  left  him  alone  ; 
without  indulging  him  the  satisfaction  they  had 
promised,  which  was,  to  let  him  speak  immediate- 
ly upon  his  arrival  to  the  president  of  the  holy  of- 
fice, to  know  from  him  the  reason  of  his  imprison- 
ment. On  the  contrary,  they  were  so  cruel  to  Mr. 
Mouton's  reputation,  as  to  spread  a  report  that  he 
was  gone  off  with  the  diamond  abovementioned. 
But  how  greatly  were  every  one  of  his  friends  sur- 
prised and  shocked  at  this  slander !  As  we  all  enter- 


JOHN    COIJSTOS.  15 

tained  the  highest  idea  of  his  probity,  none  of  us 
would  give  credit  to  this  vile  report ;  Avhence  we 
unanimously  agreed,  after  duly  weighing  this  mat- 
ter, to  go  in  a  body  to  the  jeweller,  who  was  the 
owner  of  the  diamond,  and  offer  him  the  full  pay- 
ment of  it ;  firmly  persuaded,  that  nothing  but  the 
most  fatal  and  unexpected  accident  could  have 
made  him  disappear  thus  suddenly,  without  giving 
some  of  his  friends  notice  of  it.  However,  the 
jeweller  refused  our  offer  in  the  politest  manner  ; 
assuring  us  at  the  same  time,  that  the  owner  of  the 
diamond  was  so  wealthy  a  man,  that  the  loss  of  it 
would  be  but  a  trifle  to  him. 

But  as  truth  frequently  breaks  through  all  the 
veils  with  which  falsehood  endeavours  to  cloud  her ; 
this  generosity  in  persons  to  whom  we  were  in  a 
great  measure  strangers,  made  us  suspect  some  ini- 
quitous, dark  act.  Our  conjecture  appeared  but 
too  well  grounded,  from  the  severe  persecution  that 
was  immediately  raised  against  the  free-masons  ;  J 
myself  being  seized  four  days  after. 

Perhaps  I  should  have  escaped  their  merciless 
paws,  had  I  not  been  betrayed  in  the  most  barba- 
rous manner,  by  a  Portuguese  friend  of  mine,  as  I 
falsely  supposed  him  to  be ;  and  whom  the  holy  of- 
fice had  ordered  to  watch  me  narrowly.  This  man 
seeing  me  in  a  coffee-house  between  nine  and  ten 
at  night,  went  and  gave  notice  thereof  to  nine  ofti- 
cers  of  the  Inquisition,  who  were  lying  in  wait  for 
me  with  a  chaise,  near  that  place. 


16  SUFFEftlNGS    OP 

1  was  in  the  utmost  confusion,  when,  at  my  going 
0ut  of  the  coffee-house  with  two  friends,  the  above 
officers  seized  me  only.  Their  pretence  for  this 
was,  that  I  had  passed  my  word  for  the  diamond 
which  Mr.  Mouton  had  run  away  with  :  that  I  must 
certainly  be  his  accomplice,  since  I  had  engaged 
my  friends  to  offer  to  pay  for  the  diamond  ;  all 
which  (added  they)  1  must  have  done  with  no  oth- 
er view  Ihan  to  conceal  my  viliany.  It  was  to  no 
purpose  that  I  alJcdged  a  thousand  things  in  my 
own  justillcation.  Immediately  the  wretches  took 
away  my  sword  ;  hand-cuffed  me  ;  forced  me  into 
a  chaise  drawn  by  two  mules  ;  and  in  this  condition 
I  was  hurried  a,        to  the  prison  of  the  Inquisition. 

But,  in  spite  of  these  severities,  and  their  com- 
manding me  not  to  open  my  lips,  I  yet  called  aloud 
to  one  of  my  friends  (Mr.  Richard)  who  had  been 
at  the  coffee-house  with  me,  and  was  a  free-mason  ; 
conjuring  h'm  to  give  notice  to  all  the  rest  of  our 
brethren  and  friends,  of  my  being  seized  by  com- 
mand of  the  holy  office,  in  order  that  they  might 
avoid  the  misfortune  which  had  befallen  me,  by  go- 
ing volantarily  to  the  Inquisitors,  and  accusing 
themselves. 

I  must  take  notice,  that  the  Inquisitors  very  sel- 
dom cause  a  person  to  be  seized  in  broad  day  light 
except  they  are  almost  sure  that  he  will  make  no 
noise  nor  r-sistance.  This  is  a  circums'ance  they 
observe  very  strictly,  as  is  evident  from  <^e  man- 


JOHN    COU«t#S.  11'' 

liiei  in  which  they  they  took  Mr.  Mouton.  Fai- 
ther,  they  frequently  niake  use  of  the  king's  name 
and  authority  on  these  occasions,  to  seize  and  dis- 
arm the  pretended  criminal,  who  is  afraid  to  diso- 
bey the  orders  he  hears  pronounced.  But  as  dark- 
ness befriends  deeds  of  villany,  the  Inquisitors  for 
this  reason,  usually  cause  their  victims  to  be  secur- 
ed in  the  night.  ^ 

The  Portuguese,  and  many  foreigners,  arc  so  ap 
preh6nsive  of  the  sinister   accidents   which  often 
happen  at  Lisbon  in  the  night  time,  especially  to  a 
person  who  ventures  out  alone,  that  few  are  found 
in  the  streets  of  this  city  at  a  late  hour, 

I  imagined  myself  so  secure  in  the  company  of 
my  friends,  that  I  should  not  have  been  afraid  of  re- 
sisting the  officers  in  question,  had  the  former  lent 
me  their  assistance.  But  unhappily  for  me  they 
were  struck  with  such  a  sudden  panic,  that  every 
one  of  them  fled ;  leaving  me  to  the  mercy  of  nine 
wretches,  who  fell  upon  me  in  an  instant. 

They  then  forced  me  to  the  prison  of  the  Inqui- 
"iition,  where  I  was  delivered  up  to  one  of  the  offi- 
cers  of  this  pretended  holy  place.  This  officer 
presently  calhng  four  subalterns,  or  guards,  these 
took  me  to  an  apartment,  till  such  time  as  notice 
should  be  given  to  the  president  of  my  being  catch- 
t?d  in  their  snare, 

A  little  after,  the  above-mentioned  officer  com- 
ing again,  bid  the  guards  search  me  ;  and  take  away 


18  SUFFERINGS    OF 

all  the  gold,  silver,  papers,  knives,  scissors,  Arc,  ! 
might  have  about  me.  They  then  led  me  to  a  lonely 
dungeon,  expressly  forbidding  me  to  speak  loud,  or 
knock  at  the  walls ;  but  that  in  case  I  wanted  any 
thing,  to  beat  with  a  padlock  that  hung  on  the  out- 
ward door  ;  and  which  I  could  reach,  by  thrusting 
my  arm  through  the  iron  grates.  It  was  then,  that 
struck  with  the  horrors  of  a  place  of  which  1  had 
heard  and  read  such  baleful  descriptions,  I  plun- 
ged at  once  into  the  blackest  melancholy  ;  especial- 
ly when  I  reflected  on  the  dire  consequences  with 
which  my  continement  might  very  possibly  be  at- 
tended. 

I  passed  a  whole  day  and  two  nights  in  these  ter- 
rors, which  are  the  more  difficult  to  describe  as 
they  were  heightened  at  every  little  interval,  by 
the  complaints,  the  dismal  cries,  and  holloAV  groans 
reverberating  through  this  dreadful  mansion  from 
several  other  prisoners,  my  neighbours  ;  and  which 
the  solemn  silence  of  the  night  made  intinitely 
more  shocking.  It  was  now  that  time  seemed  to 
have  lost  all  motion,  and  these  threescore  hours 
appeared  to  me  like  so  many  years. 

But  after  calling  to  mirtd  that  grief  would  only 
aggravate  my  calamity,  I  endeavoured  to  arm  my 
>oul  with  fortitude  and  habituate  myself,  as  well  as 
i  could  to  woe.  Accordingly  I  roused  my  spirits  ; 
and  banishing  for  a  few  moments,  these  dreadfully 
mournful  ideas,  I  began  to  reflect  seriously  of  adop- 


JOHN  COUSTOS.  19 

ting  some  method  to  extricate  myself  from  this  lab- 
yrinth of  horrors.  My  consciousness  that  I  had 
not  committed  any  crime  which  could  justly  merit 
death,  would  now  and  then  soften  my  pangs ;  but 
immediately  after,  dreadful  presagin^^»ughts 
overspread  my  mind,  when  I  reflected  ^(  Ihe 
crying  injustice  of  which  the  tribunal  that  was  to 
judge  me  is  accused.  I  considered,  that  being  a 
protestant,  I  should  inevitably  feel  in  its  utmost  ri- 
gours, all  that  rage  and  barbarous  zeal  could  infuse 
into  the  breasts  of  monks,  who  cruelly  gloried  in 
committing  to  the  flames,  those  ill-fated  victims, 
whose  only  crime  was  their  differing  from  theni 
in  religious  opinions  ;  or  rather,  who  were 
obnoxious  to  those  tygers,  merely  because  they 
thought  worthily  of  human  nature,  and  viewed  with 
the  utmost  detestation,  these  Romish  barbarities, 
unparalleled  in  any  other  religion. 

Upon  due  reflection,  I  considered  it  incumbent 
on  me  to  calm  the  tumult  of  my  spirits,  in  order  to 
prevent  my  falling  into  the  snares  which,  my  judges 
would  not  fail  to  spread  round  me  ;  either  by  giving 
them  an  opportunity  of  pronouncing  me  guilty,  or 
by  forcing  me  to  apostatize  from  the  religion  in 
which  I  was  born.  I  therefore  devoted  my  whole 
thoughts  to  the  means  of  my  justification,  and  this 
I  made  so  familiar  to  myself,  that  I  was  persuaded 
neither  the  partiahty  of  my  judges,  nor  the  dread- 
ful ideas  1  had  entertained  of  their  (yuelty,  couM 


20  SUFFERINGS  OF 

intimidate  me,  when  I  should  be  brought  beloro 
them  ;  and  which  1  accordingly  was  in  a  few  days., 
after  having  been  shaved,  and  had  my  hair  cut  by 
their  order. 

I  was  now  led,  bare-headed,  to  the  president  and 
lour  Inquisitors,  who,  upon  my  coming  in,  bid  me 
kneel  down,  lay  my  right  hand  on  the  bible  ;  and 
swear,  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  that  I 
would  speak  truly  with  regard  to  all  the  questions 
they  should  ask  me.  These  questions  were,  my 
christian  and  sir  names  ;  those  of  my  parents  5  the 
place  of  my  birth,  my  profession,  religion,  and  the 
length  of  time  I  had  resided  in  Lisbon.  This  being 
done,  they  addressed  me  as  follows  : — "  Son,  you 
have  offended  and  spoke  injuriously  of  the  holy 
office,  as  we  know  from  very  good  authority ;  for 
which  reason  we  exhort  you  to  make  a  confession  of, 
and  to  accuse  yourself  of  the  several  crimes  you 
may  have  committed,  from  the  time  you  was  capa- 
ble of  judging  between  good  and  evil,  to  the  present 
moment.  In  doing  this,  you  will  excite  the  com- 
passion of  this  tribunal,  which  is  ever  merciful  and 
kind  to  those  who  speak  the  truth." 

It  was  then  they  thought  proper  to  inform  me, 
that  the  diamond  mentioned  in  the  former  pages, 
was  only  a  pretence  they  had  employed,  in  order  to 
get  an  opportunity  of  seizing  me.  1  now  besought 
them,  "  to  let  me  know  the  true  cause  of  my  im- 
prisonment 5  that,  having  been  born  and  educated 


JOHN  COUSTOS.  21 

in  the  protestant  religion,  I  had  been  taught  from 
my  infancy,  not  to  confess  myself  to  men,  but  to 
God,  who,  as  he  only  can  see  into  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  the  human  heart,  knows  the  sincerity  or 
insincerity  of  the  sinner's  repentance,  who  confes- 
sed himself  to  him ;  and  being  his  creator,  it  was 
he  only  could  absolve  him." 

The  reader  will  naturally  suppose,  that  they 
were  not  satisfied  with  my  answer ;  they  declaring, 
*•  that  it  would  be  indispensably  necessary  forgne 
to  confess  myself,  what  religion  soever  I  migh^'be 
of ;  otherwise,  that  a  confession  would  be  forced 
from  me,  by  the  expedients  the  holy  office  employ- 
ed for  that  purpose." 

To  this  I  replied,  "  That  I  had  never  spoke  in  my 
Hfe  against  the  Romish  religion  ;  that  1  had  behaved 
in  such  a  manner,  ever  since  my  living  at  Lisbon, 
that  I  could  not  be  justly  accused  of  saying  or  doing 
any  thing  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  kingdom, 
either  as  to  spiritual  or  temporal  concerns ;  that  I 
had  also  imagined  the  holy  office  took  cognizance 
of  none  but  those  persons  who  were  guilty  of  sac- 
rilege, blasphemy,  and  such  like  crimes,  whose  de- 
Hght  is  to  depreciate  and  ridicule  the  mysteries  re- 
ceived in  the  Romish  church,  but  of  which  I  was  not 
guilty."  They  then  remanded  me  back  to  my  dun- 
geon, after  exhorting  me  to  examine  my  conscience. 

Three  days  after,  they  sent  for  me,  to  interrogate 
;ne  a  second  time.     The  first  question  they  asked 


22  SUFFERINGS  OF 

me  was,  "  whether  I  had  carefully  looked  into  my 
conscience  pursuant  to  their  injunction."  I  replied, 
"  that  after  carefully  reviewing  all  the  past  tran- 
sactions of  my  hfe,  I  did  not  remember  having  said 
or  done  any  thing  that  could  justly  give  offence  to 
the  holy  oflice  ;  that  from  my  most  tender  youth, 
my  parents,  who  had  been  forced  to  quit  France  for 
their  rehgion  ;  and  who  knew,  by  sad  experience, 
how  highly  it  concerns  every  one  that  values  his 
ease,  never  to  converse  on  religious  subjects,  in 
certain  countries  ;  had  advised  me  never  to  engage 
in  disputes  of  this  kind,  since  they  usually  embit- 
tered the  minds  of  the  contending  parties,  rather 
than  reconciled  them  ;  farther,  that  I  belonged  to 
a  society,  composed  of  persons  of  different  reli- 
gions ;  one  of  the  laws  of  which  society  expressly 
forbids  its  members  ever  to  dispute  on  those  sub- 
jects under  a  considerable  penalty."  As  the  In- 
quisitors confounded  the  word  society  with  that  of 
religion,  1  assured  them  "  that  this  society  could  be 
considered  as  a  religious  one,  no  otherwise  than  as 
it  obliged  its  several  members  to  live  together  in 
charity  and  brotherly  love,  how  widely  soever  they 
might  differ  in  religious  principles."  They  then 
inquired  "  what  this  society  was  called  ?"  I  re- 
plied, "  that  if  they  had  ordered  me  to  be  seized, 
because  I  was  one  of  its  members,  I  would  readily 
tell  them  its  name  ;  I  thinking  myself  not  a  little 
honoured  in  belonging  to  a  society.  Avhich  boasted 


JOHN  COUSTOb.  23 

several  christian  kings,  princes,  and  persons  of  the 
highest  quahty  amongst  it  members  :  and  that  I  had 
been  frequently  in  company  with  some  of  the  latter, 
as  one  of  their  brethren."  Then  one  of  the  In- 
quisitors asked  me,  "  whether  the  name  of  this  so- 
ciety was  a  secret  ?"  I  answered,  "  that  it  was  not ; 
that  I  could  tell  it  them  in  French  or  English,  but 
was  not  able  to  translate  it  into  Portuguese."  Then 
all  of  them  fixing  on  a  sudden  their  eyes  attentively 
on  me,  repeated  alternately,  the  words  free-mason, 
or  franc-macon.  From  this  instant  I  was  firmly 
persuaded,  that  I  had  been  imprisoned  solely  on  ac- 
count of  masonry. 

They  afterwards  asked,  "  what  were  the  consti- 
tutions of  this  society  ?"  I  then  set  before  them, 
as  well  as  I  could,  "  the  ancient  traditions  relating 
to  this  noble  art,  of  which  (I  told  them)  James  VI. 
of  Scotland,*  had  declared  himself  the  protector, 
and  encouraged  his  subjects  to  enter  among  the 
free-masons  :  that  it  appeared  from  authentic  man- 
uscripts, that  the  kings  of  Scotland  had  so  great  a 
regard  for  this  honourable  society,  on  account  of 
the  strong  proofs  its  members  had  ever  given  of 
their  fidelity  and  attachment ;  that  those  monarchs 
established  the  custom  among  the  brethren,  of  say- 
ing, whenever  they  drank,  God  preserve  the  king-end 
the  brotherhood ;  that  this  example  was  soon  follow- 

.  *  The  constitutions  of  the  free-masons,  k,c.  for  the  use  of  the 
lodges,  by  Dr.  Anderson,  page  38,  London,  1723.  Some  other 
passages  here  are  taken  from  the  same  work. 


24  SUFFERINGS  OP 

ed  by  the  Scotch  nobihty  and  the  clerg} ,  who  hati 
«o  high  an  esteem  for  the  brotherhood,  that  most  of 
them  entered  into  the  society. 

"  That  it  appeared  from  other  traditions,  that  the 
kings  of  Scotland  had  frequently  been  grand  mas- 
ters of  the  free-masons  ;  and  that,  when  the  kings 
were  not  such,  the  society  were  empowered  to 
elect,  as  grand  master,  one  of  the  nobles  of  the 
country,  who  had  a  pension  from  the  sovereign  ; 
and  received,  at  his  election,  a  gift  from  every  free- 
mason in  Scotland." 

I  likewise  told  them,  "  that  queen  Elizabeth,  as- 
cending the  throne  of  England,  at  a  time  that  the 
kingdom  was  greatly  divided  by  factions  and  clash- 
ing interests  ;  and  taking  umbrage  at  the  various 
assemblies  of  great  numbers  of  her  subjects,  as  not 
knowing  the  designs  of  those  meetings,  she  resolved 
to  suppress  the  assemblies  of  free-masons ;  how- 
ever ;  that,  before  her  majesty  proceeded  to  this 
extremity,  she  commanded  some  of  her  subjects  to 
enter  into  this  society,  among  whom  was  the  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  primate  of  her  kingdom  ; 
that  these,  obeying  the  queen's  orders,  gave  her  so 
very  advantagous  a  character,  of  the  fidelity  of  the 
free-masons,  as  removed  at  once,  all  her  majesty's 
suspicions  and  political  fears ;  so  that  the  society 
have,  ever  since  that  time,  enjoyed  in  Great-Bri- 
tain, and  the  places  subject  to  it,  all  the  liberty  they 
could  wish  for,  and  which  they  have  never  once 
abused." 


JOHN    COUSTOa.  25'' 

They  afterwards  enquired,  "  what  wa<i  the  ten- 
dency of  this  society  ?" — I  rephed,  "  every  free- 
mason is  obhged,  at  his  admission,  to  take  an  oath 
on  the  holy  gospel,  that  he  will  be  faithful  to  the 
king ;  and  never  enter  into  any  plot  or  conspiracy 
against  his  sacred  person,  or  against  the  country 
where  he  resides ;  and  ths^t  he  will  pay  obedience 
to  the  Kiagistrates  appointed  by  the  monarch." 

I  next  declared,  "  that  charity  was  the  foundation, 
and  the  soul,  as  it  were  of  the  society ;  as  it  linked 
together  the  several  individuals  of  it,  by  the  tie  of 
fraternal  love  ;  and  made  it  an  i>  dispensable  duty 
to  assist,  in  the  most  charitable  manner,  without 
distinction  of  religion,  all  such  necessitous  persone 
as  were  found  true  objects  of  compassion."  It  wae 
then  they  called  me  liar  ;  deciding,  "  that  it  was 
impossible  this  society  should  prcfsss  the  practice 
of  such  good  maxims,  and  yet  be  so  very  jealous  of 
its  secrets  as  to  exclude  women  from  it."  The  ju- 
dicious reader  will  perceive  at  once,  the  weakness 
of  this  inference,  which  perhaps  would  be  founa  but 
too  true,  were  it  applied  to  the  inviolable  secresy 
observed  by  this  pretended  holy  office,  in  all  its  ac- 
tions. 

They  presently  gave  orders  for  my  being  convey- 
ed into  another  deep  dungeon  ;  the  design  of  which, 
I  suppose,  was  to  terrify  me  completely  ;  and  here 
I  continued  seven  weeks.  It  will  be  naturally  sup- 
posed that  I  was  now  overwhelmed  with  grief.  I 
3 


26  SUFFERINGS  OF 

will  confess,  that  I  then  gave  myself  up  entirely  foi 
lost ;  and  liad  no  resource  left  but  in  the  Almighty, 
whose  aid  I  implored  continually  with  the  utmost 
fervency.  During  my  stay  in  this  miserable  dun- 
geon, I  was  taken  three  times  before  the  Inquisitors. 
The  first  thing  they  made  me  do  was  to  swear  on  the 
bible,  that  I  would  not  reveal  the  secrets  of  the 
Inquisition ;  but  declare  the  truth  with  regard  to 
all  such  questions  as  they  should  put  to  me.  They 
added,  ','  that  it  was  their  firm  opinion  that  masonry 
could  not  be  founded  on  such  good  principles  as  I, 
in  my  former  interrogatories,  had  affirmed ;  and 
ihat  if  this  society  of  free-masons  was  so  virtuous 
as  I  pretended,  there  was  no  occasion  for  their  con- 
cealing so  industriously,  the  secrets  of  it." 

I  told  them,  "  that  a  secresy  *  naturally  excited 


*  One  of  the  principal  parts  that  makes  a  man  be  deemed  wise, 
is  his  intelligent  strength  and  ability  to  cover  and  conceal  such 
honest  secrets  as  are  committed  to  him,  as  well  as  his  own  serious 
affairs.  And  whoever  will  peruse  sacred  and  profane  history, 
shall  find  a  great  number  of  virtuous  attempts  (in  peace  and  war) 
that  never  reached  their  designed  ends,  through  defect  of  secret 
concealmt'nt  ;  and  yet,  besides  such  unhappy  prevention,  infinite 
evils  have  thereby  ensued.  But  before  all  other  examples,  let  us 
consider  thai  which  excels  all  the  rest,  derived  even  from  God 
himself.  Who  so  especially  prt;serves  his  own  secrets  to  himself, 
never  letting  any  man  know  what  should  happen  on  the  morrow  ; 
nor  could  the  wise  men  in  ages  past,  divine  what  should  befall  us 
in  this  age  ;  whereby  we  may  readily  discern  that  God  himself  is 
well  pleased  with  secresy.  And  although,  for  man's  good,  the 
Lord  has  been  pjeased  to  reveal  some  things,  yet  it  is  impossible 
at  any  time  to  change  or  alter  his  determination,  in  regard  where- 
of, the  reverend  wise  men  of  ancient  times,  evermore  affected  to 
perform  their  intentions  secretly. 

The  Athi  nians  had  a  statue  of  brass,  wh  ch  they  bowed  to  ;  the 
figure  was  made  without  a  tongue,  to  declare  secresy  thereby. 


JOHN  COUSTOS. 


27 


cariosity,  this  prompted  great  numbers  of  persons 
to  enter  into  this  society  ;  that  all  the  monies  given 
by  members  at  their  admission  therein,  were  em- 
ployed in  works  of  charity :  that  by  the  secrets 
which  the  several  members  practised,  a  true  mason 
instantly  knew  whether  a  stranger,  who  would  in- 
troduce himself  into  a  lodge,  was  really  a  free-ma- 
son ;  that,  was  it  not  for  such  precautions,  this  so- 
ciety would  form  confused  assemblies  of  all  sorts  of 
people,  who  as  they  were  not  obliged  to  pay  obe- 
dience to  the  orders  of  the  master  of  the  lodge,  it 
consequently  would  be  impossible  to  keep  them 
within  the  bounds  of  that  decorum  and  good  order, 


The  servanls  of  Plancas  are  muuh  commended,  because  no 
torment  cuuld  make  them  confess  the  secret  which  their  master 
entrusted  them  with. 

Likewise  the  servant  of  Cato  the  orator,  was  cruelly  tormented, 
but  nothing  could  make  him  reveal  the  secrets  of  his  master. 

Aristorthe  was  demanded  what  thing  appeared  most  dilScull 
to  him  ;  he  answered,  to  be  secret  and  silent. 

To  this  purpose,  St.  Ambrose,  in  his  offices,  placed  among  the 
principal  foundations  of  virtue,  the  patient  gift  of  silence. 

The  wise  king  Solomon,  says  in  his  proverbs,  that  a  king  ought 
not  to  drink  wine,  because  drunkenness  is  an  enemy  to  sec  re  sy  ; 
and  in  his  opinion,  he  is  not  worthy  to  reign  that  cannot  keep  his 
own  secrets  ;  he  furthermore  says,  that  he  who  discovers  secrets 
is  a  traitor,  and  he  who  conceals  them  is  a  faithful  brother  ;  he 
likewise  says,  that  he  that  retraineth  his  tongue,  keeps  his  soul. 

Therefore  I  am  of  opinion,  that  if  secresy  and  silence  be  duly 
considered,  they  will  be  found  most  necessary  to  qualify  a  man 
for  any  business  of  importance  ;  if  this  be  granted,  I  am  confident 
that  no  man  will  dare  to  dispute  that  free-masons  are  superior  to 
all  other  men,  in  concealing  their  secrets  from  time  immemorial. 
The  power  of  gold,  that  often  has  betrayed  kings  and  princes,  anu 
sometimes  overturned  whole  empires,  nor  the  most  cruel  punish 
ments,  could  never  extort  the  secret  even  from  the  weakest  racfrr 
ber  of  the  whole  fraternitv. 


28  SUFFERINGS    OTP 

which  are  strictly  observed  upon  certain  penalties, 
by  all  free-masons. 

"•  That  the  reason  why  women  were  exclude(i 
this  society,  was  to  take  away  all  occasion  for  cal- 
umny and  reproach,  which  Avould  have  been  una- 
voidable, had  they  been  admitted  into  it.  Farther, 
that  since  women  had  in  general,  been  always  con- 
sidered as  not  very  well  qualified  to  keep  a  secret : 
the  founders  of  the  society  of  free-masons,  by  their 
exclusion  of  the  other  sex,  thereby  gave  a  signal 
proof  of  their  prudence  and  wisdom." 

They  then  insisted  upon  my  revealing  to  them 
the  secrets  of  this  art. — "  The  oath,  (said  I)  taken 
by  me  at  my  admission,  never  to  divulge  them  di- 
rectly, or  indirectly,  will  not  permit  me  to  do  it : 
conscience  forbids  me  ;  and  I  therefore  hope  your 
iordships  are  too  equitable  to  use  compulsion." 
They  declared,  "  that  my  oath  was  as  nothing  in 
their  presence,  and  that  they  would  absolve  me 
from  it."  "  Your  lordships,  (continued  I)  are  very 
gracious  ;  but  as  I  am  firmly  persuaded,  that  it  is  not 
in  the  power  of  any  being  upon  earth  to  free  me 
from  my  oath,  I  am  firmly  determined  never  to  vio- 
late it."  This  was  more  than  enough  to  make  them 
remand  me  back  to  my  dungeon,  where,  a  few  days 
after,  I  fell  sick. 

A  physician  was  then  sent,  who  finding  me  ex- 
ceeding ill,  made  a  report  thereof  to  the  Inquisitors. 
Upon  being  informed  of  it,  they  immediately  gave 


JOHN  COUStOS.  'i9 

orders  ^or  my  being  removed  from  this  frightful 
dungeon  into  another,  which  admitted  some  ghm- 
merings  of  day  light.  They  appointed  at  the  same 
time  another  prisoner  to  look  after  me  during  my 
sickness,  which,  very  happily,  was  not  of  long  con- 
tinuance. 

Being  recovered,  I  was  again  taken  before  the  In- 
quisitors, Avho  asked  me  several  new  questions  with 
regard  to  the  secrets  of  free  masonry ;  "  whether 
since  my  abode  in  Lisbon,  I  had  received  any  Por- 
tuguese into  the  society  ?" — I  replied,  "  that  I  had 
not :  that  it  was  true,  indeed,  that  Don  Emanuel 
de  Sousa,  Lord  of  Calliaris,  and  captain  of  the 
German  Guards,  hearing  that  the  person  was  at  Lis- 
bon, who  had  made  the  Duke  de  Villeroy  a  free- 
mason by  order  of  the  French  king  Louis  XV.  had 
desired  Mr.  de  Chavigny,  at  that  time  minister  of 
France  at  the  Portuguese  court,  to  inquire  for^ 
me  ;  but  that,  upon  my  being  told  that  the  king  of 
Portugal  would  not  permit  any  of  his  subjects  to  be 
free-masons,  I  had  desired  two  of  the  brethren  to 
wait  on  Mr.  de  Calliatis  above  mentioned,  and  ac- 
quaint him  with  my  fears  ;  and  to  assure  him  at  the 
same  time,  tliat,  in  case  he  could  obtain  the  king's 
leave,  1  was  ready  to  receive  him  into  the  brother- 
hood ;  I  being  resolved  not  to  do  any  thing  which 
might  draw  upon  me  the  indignation  of  his  Portu- 
guese majesty  :  that  Mr.  Calliaris  having  a  very 
T^trong  desire  to  enter  into  our  society,  declared,. 
,1* 


30  SUFFERINGS  OF 

that  there  was  nothing  in  what  I  had  observed  with 
regard  to  his  majesty's  prohibition ;  it  being  (add- 
ed this  nobleman)  unworthy  the  regal  dignity,  to 
concern  itself  with  such  trifles.  However,  being 
certain  that  I  spoke  from  very  good  authority  ;  and 
knowing  that  Mr.  de  Calliaris  was  a  nobleman  of 
great  economy  :  I  found  no  other  expedient,  to  dis- 
engage myself  from  him  than  by  asking  fifty  moi- 
dores  for  his  reception ;  a  demand  which,  I  was 
persuaded,  would  soon  lessen,  or  rather  suppress  at 
once,  the  violent  desire  he  might  have  to  enter  in- 
to the  society  of  free-masons." 

To  this  one  of  the  Inquisitors  said,  "  that  it  was 
not  only  true  that  his  Portuguese  majesty  had  for- 
bid any  of  his  subjects  to  be  made  free-masons  ; 
but  that  there  had  been  fixed  up,  five  years  before, 
upon  the  doors  of  all  the  churches  in  Lisbon,  an 
,  order  from  his  holiness,  strictly  enjoining  the  Portu- 
guese in  general,  not  to  enter  iuto  this  society  ; 
and  even  excommunicate  all  such  as  were  then,  or 
should  afterwards  become  members  of  it." — Here 
I  besought  them  to  consider,  "  that  if  I  had  commit- 
ted any  offence  in  practising  masonry  at  Lisbon,  it 
was  merely  through  ignorance  5  I  having  resided 
but  two  years  in  Portugal  :  that,  farther,  the  cir- 
cumstance just  now  mentioned  by  them,  entirely 
destroyed  the  charge  brought  against  me,  viz.  of 
my  being  the  person  who  had  introduced  free-ma- 
sonry in  Portugal. — They  answered,   "that  as  I 


JOHN    COUSTOS.  31 

was  one  of  the  most  zealous  partizans  of  this  socie- 
ty, I  could  not  but  have  heard  during  my  abode  in 
Lisbon,  the  orders  issued  by  the  holy  father."  I 
silenced  them  by  "the  comparison  I  made  be- 
tween myself  and  a  traveller,  who,  going  to  their 
capital  city,  and  spying  two  roads  leading  to  it,  one 
of  which  was  expressly  forbid  upon  pain  of  the  se- 
verest punishment,  to  strangers,  though  without 
any  indication  or  tokens  being  set  up  for  this  pur- 
pose; that  this  stranger  should  thereby  strike  acci- 
dentally, merely  through  ignorance,  into  the  forbid- 
den road." 

They  afterwards  charged  me  with  "  drawing 
away  Roman  Catholics,  of  other  nations,  residing 
in  Lisbon."  I  represented  to  them,  "that  Roman 
Catholics  must  sooner  be  informed  of  the  pope's 
injunction  than  I,  who  was  a  protestant :  that  I  was 
firmly  of  opinion,  that  the  severe  orders  issued  by 
the  Roman  pontiff,  had  not  a  little  prompted  many 
to  enter  among  the  free-masons  :  that  a  man,  who 
was  looked  upon  as  a  heretic,  was  not  qualified  to 
win  over  persons  who  considered  him  as  such  :  that 
a  free-mason,  who  professed  the  Romish  rehgion, 
was  I  presumed  the  only  man  fit  to  seduce  and 
draw  away  others  of  the  same  persuasion  with  him- 
self; to  get  into  their  confidence  ;  and  remove  suc- 
cessfully such  scruples  as  might  arise  in  their 
minds,  both  with  regard  to  the  injurious  reports 
spread  concerning  masonry,  and  to  the  pope's  ex- 


32  SUFFERINGS  OP 

communication  ;  of  which  a  vile  heretic  entertain- 
ed an  idea  far  different  from  that  of  the  Roman^ 
ists.     They  then  sent  me  back  to  my  dungeon. 

Being  again  ordered  to  be  brought  before  the  In- 
quisitors, they  insisted  upon  my  letting  them  into 
the  secrets  of  masonry  ;  threatening  me,  in  case  I 
did  not  comply. — I  persisted,  as  before,  "  in  refus- 
ing to  break  my  oath ;  and  besought  them,  cither 
to  write,  or  give  orders  for  writing,  to  his  Portu- 
guese majesty's  ministers  both  at  London  and  Pa- 
ris, to  know  from  them,  whether  any  thing  was  ev- 
er done  in  the  assembly  of  the  free-masons,  repug- 
nant to  decency  and  morality  ;  to  the  dictates  of 
the  Romish  faith,  or  to  the  obedience  which  every 
good  Christian  owes  to  the  injunctions  of  the  mon- 
arch in  whose  dominions  he  lives,"  I  observed  far- 
ther, "  that  the  king  of  France,  who  is  the  eldest 
son  of  the  church,  and  despotic  in  his  dominions, 
would  not  have  bid  his  favourite  enter  into  a  socie- 
ty proscribed  by  the  mother  church  ;  had  he  not 
been  persuaded  that  nothing  was  transacted  in 
their  meetings,  contrary  to  the  state,  to  religion, 
and  to  the  church."  I  afterwards  referred  them  to 
Mr.  Dogwood,  an  Englishman,  who  was  born  a 
Roman  Catholic,  and  was  a  free-mason.  This  gen- 
tleman had  travelled  with,  and  was  greatly  beloved 
by  Don  Pedro  Antonio,  the  king's  favourite ;  and 
who,  "  having  settled  a  lodge  at  Lisbon  lifteen  years 
before,  could  acquaint  them,  in  case  he  thought 


JOHN    COUSTOS.  i3"3 

proper,  with  the  nature  and  secrets  of  masonry." 
The  Inquisitors  commanded  me  to  be  taken  back  to 
my  dismal  abode. 

Appearing  again  before  them,  they  did  not  once 
mention  the  secrets  of  masonry  ;  but  took  notice 
that  I,  in  one  of  my  examinations  had  said,  "  that 
it  was  a  duty  incumbent  on  free-masons  to  assist  the 
needy ;"  upon  which  they  aked,  "  whether  I  had 
ever  reheved  a  poor  object  ?"  I  named  to  them 
a  lying-in-woman,  a  Romanist,  who  being  reduced 
to  the  extremes  of  misery,  and  hearing  that  the  free- 
masons were  very  liberal  of  their  alms,  she  addres- 
sed herself  to  me,  and  I  gave  her  a  moidore.  I  ad- 
ded, "  that  the  convent  of  the  Franciscans  having 
been  burnt  down,  the  fathers  made  a  gathering,  and 
I  gave  them,  upon  the  exchange,  three  quarters  of  ^ 
moidore."  I  declared,  farther,  "  that  a  poor  Ro- 
man Catholic,  who  had  a  large  family,  and  could  get 
no  work,  being  in  the  utmost  distress,  had  been  re- 
commended to  me  by  some  free-masons  ;  with  a 
request  that  we  would  make  a  purse  among  our- 
selves, in  order  to  set  him  up  again,  and  thereby 
enable  him  to  support  his  family  :  that  accordingly 
we  raised  among  seven  of  us  who  were  free-masons, 
ten  moidores ;  which  money  I  myself  put  into  his 
ha  nds." 

They  then  asked  me,  "  whether  1  had  given  my 
own  money  in  alms  ?"  I  replied,  "  that  these 
arose  from  the  forfeits  of  such  free-masons  as  had 


34  SUFFERINGS  OF 

not  attended  properly  the  meetings  of  the  brother- 
hood." "  What  are  the  faults  (said  they)  committed 
by  your  brother  masons,  which  occasion  their  being 
fined."  "  Those  who  take  the  name  of  God  in 
vain,  pay  the  quarter  of  a  moidore  ;  such  as  utter 
any  other  oath,  or  pronounce  obscene  words,  forfeit 
a  new  crusade  •*  all  who  are  turbulent,  or  refuse 
to  obey  the  orders  of  the  master  of  the  lodge,  are 
likewise  fined."  They  remanded  me  back  to  my 
dungeon,  having  first  inquired  the  name  and  habi- 
tation of  the  several  persons  hinted  at  ;  on  which 
occasion  I  assured  them  that  the  last  mentioned  was 
not  a  free-mason  ;  and  that  the  brethren  assisted 
indiscriminately  all  sorts  of  people,  provided  they 
were  real  objects  of  charity." 

I  naturally  concluded,  from  the  behaviour  of  the 
Inquisitors,  at  my  being  brought  before  them  four 
days  after,  that  they  had  inquired  into  the  truth  of 
the  several  particulars  related  before.  They  now 
did  not  say  a  word  concerning  masonry,  but  began 
to  work  with  different  engines. 

They  then  employed  all  the  powers  of  their  rhet- 
oric to  prove,  "  that  it  became  me  to  consider  my 
imprisonment  by  order  of  the  holy  office  as  an  eiTect 
of  the  goodness  of  God,  who  (added  they)  intended 
to  bring  me  to  a  serious  way  of  thinking :  and,  by 
this  means,  lead  me  into  the  paths  of  truth,  that  I 

*A  new  crusade  is  55  cents. 


JOHN  COUSTOS.  35 

might  labour  efficaciously  for  the  salvation  of  my 
soul.  That  I  ought  to  know  that  Jesus  Christ  had 
said  to  Peter — Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock 
I  roill  build  my  church,  arid  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it  ;  whence  it  was  my  duty  to 
obey  the  injunctions  of  his  holiness,  he  being  St. 
Peter's  successor."  I  replied  with  spirit  and  res- 
olution, "  that  I  did  not  acknowledge  the  Roman 
pontiff,  either  as  successor  to  St.  Peter,  or  as  infal- 
lible :  that  I  relied  entirely,  with  regard  to  doctrine, 
on  the  holy  scriptures,  these  being  the  sole  guide  of 
our  faith.  I  besought  them  to  let  me  enjoy  undis- 
turbed, the  privileges  allowed  the  English  in  Por- 
tugal :  that  I  was  resolved  to  live  and  die  in  the 
communion  of  the  church  of  England  :  and  that 
therefore  all  the  pains  they  might  take  to  make  a 
convert  of  me,  would  be  ineffectual." 

Notwithstanding  the  repeated  declarations  made 
by  me,  that  I  would  never  change  my  religion,  the 
Inquisitors  were  as  urgent  as  ever.  They  offered  to 
send  some  English  friars  tome,  who,  they  said,  would , 
instruct  me  ;  and  so  fully  open  my  eyes,  that  I  should 
have  a  distinct  view  of  my  wretched  condition, 
M'hich,  they  declared,  was  the  more  deplorable,  as 
I  was  now  wholly  insensible  of  its  danger. 

Finding  me  still  immoveable,  and  that  there  was 
no  possibility  of  their  making  the  least  impression 
on  me  ;  the  indulgence  which  they  showed  at  the 
beginning  of  my  examination,  was  suddenly  chan- 


36  SUFFERINGS  OP 

ged  to  fury ;  they  venting  the  most  injurious  ex- 
pressions, "  calUngme  heretic,  and  saying  that  I  was 
damned."  Here  I  could  not  forbear  replying, 
•'  that  I  was  no  heretic  ;  hut  would  prove,  on  the 
contrary,  that  they  themselves  were  in  an  error," 
and  now  raising  their  voice ;  "  take  care,  cried 
they,  with  a  tone  of  authority,  what  you  say."  "  I 
advance  nothing  replied  I,  hut  what  1  am  able  to 
prove.  Do  you  believe  continued  I,  that  the  words 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  found  in  the  New-Tes- 
tament, are  true?"  They  answered  in  the  affirm- 
ative. "  But  what  inference,  said  they,  do  you 
draw  from  thence  ?"  "  Be  so  good,  added  I,  as  to 
let  me  have  a  bible,  and  I  will  inform  you  concern- 
ing this."  I  then  laid  before  them  the  passage 
where  our  Saviour  says  thus  :  Search  the  scriptures^ 

for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life^  and  they 
are  they  which  testify  of  me.  Likewise  the  following  : 
We  also  have  a  more  sure  word  of  prophesy  ;  where. 
^td  ye  do  well  that  you  take  heed  ;  and  yet  says  I. 

' "  both  the  pope  and  your  lordships  forbid  the  peru- 
sal of  them  ;  and  thereby  act  in  direct  opposition 

"to  the  express  command  of  the  Saviour  of  the 
world."  To  this  the  Inquisitors  replied,  that  1 
ought  to  call  to  mind,  "  that  our  Saviour  says  to  St. 
Peter,  and  in  his  name,  to  all  the  popes  his  succes- 
sors, I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth, 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 


JOHN  G0U9TOS.  37 

loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven.  That  none 
but  a  heretic,  like  myself,  would  dare  to  dispute 
the  authority  and  infallibility  of  the  pope,  who  is 
Christ's  vic^T  here  below ;  that  the  reason  of  not 
allowing  the  perusal  of  this  book  was,  to  prevent 
the  common  people  from  explaining  the  obscure 
passages  contained  therein,  contrary  to  their  trn(^ 
sense  ;  as  was  daily  the  practice  of  schismatics  and 
heretics  like  myself."  I  shall  omit  the  other  con- 
troversial points  that  afterwards  occurred,  all  which 
I  answered  to  the  best  of  my  slender  abilities. 

One  thing  I  can  assure  my  reader  is,  that  the  In- 
quisitors were  not  able  to  alter,  in  any  manner,  the 
firm  resolution  I  had  taken,  to  hve  and  die  a  pi-otest- 
ant :  on  the  contrary,  I  can  affirm,  that  their  re- 
monstrances, and  even  menaces,  served  only  to 
strengthen  my  resistance ;  and  furnish  me  with 
abundant  proofs  to  refute  with  vigour,  all  the  arjiu- 
ments  offered  by  them. 

I  acknowledge  that  I  owe  this  wholly  to  the  df' 
vine  goodness,  which  graciously  condescended  to 
support  me  under  these  violent  trials,  and  enabled 
me  to  persevere  to  the  end  ;  for  this  I  return  un- 
feigned thanks  to  the  Almighty ;  and  hope  to  give, 
during  the  remainder  of  my  life,  convincing  testi- 
monies of  the  strong  impression  which  those  trial^ 
made  on  my  mind,  by  devoting  myself  sincerely  to 
the  duties  of  rehgion. 

I  was  ordered  back  by  the  Inquisitors,  to  my  dis- 
4 


38  SUFtERINGS    OP 

mal  abode  ;  after  they  had  declared  to  me,  "  that  if 
I  turned  Roman  Cathohc,  it  would  be  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  my  cause  ;  otherwise  that  I  perhaps 
might  repent  of  my  obstinacy  when  it  was  too  late." 
I  replied  in  a  respectful  manner,  that  1  could  not 
accept  of  their  offers. 

A  few  days  after,  I  was  again  brought  before  the 
president  of  the  holy  office,  who  said,  "  that  the 
proctor  would  read,  in  the  presence  of  the  court, 
the  heads  of  the  indictment  or  charge  brought 
against  me."  The  Inquisitors  now  offered  me  a 
counsellor,  in  case  I  desired  one,  to  plead  my  cause. 

Being  sensible  that  the  person  whom  they  would 
send  me  for  this  purpose,  was  himself  an  Inquisitor, 
I  chose  rather  to  make  my  own  defence,  in  the 
best  manner  I  could.  I  therefore  desired  that 
leave  might  be  granted  me  to  deliver  my  defence 
in  writing;  but  this  they  refused,  saying,  "  hat  the 
holy  office  did  not  allow^  prisoners  the  use  of  pen, 
mk,  and  paper."  I  then  begged  they  would  per- 
mit me  to  dictate  my  justification  in  their  presence, 
to  any  person  whom  they  should  appoint ;  which 
favor  was  granted  to  me. 

f_  The  heads  of  the  charge  or  indictment  brought 
a^-ainst  me,  were  ;  "  That  I  had  infringed  thepope^s 
orders,  by  my  belonging  to  the  sect  of  the  free-ma- 
sons ;  this  sect  being  a  horrid  compound  of  sacrilege, 
sodomy,  and  many  other  abominable  crimes :  of 
-vhich  (he  inviolable  secrecy  observed  therein,  and  the 


JOHN  GOUSTOS.  39 

ixdusion  of  women,  were  but  too  manifest  indications  : 
a  circumstance  that  gave  the  highest  offence  to  the 
whole  kingdom  ;  and  the  said  Coustos  having  refused 
to  discover  to  the  Inquisitors  the  true  tendency  and 
design  of  the  meetings  of  free-masons  :  and  persist- 
ing, on  the  contrary,  in  asserting,  that  free-masonry 
was  good  in  itself:  wherefore  the  proctor  of  the  In- 
quisition requires  thai  the  said  prisoner  7nay  be  pros- 
ecuted with  the  utmost  rigour  ,  and  for  this  purpose, 
desires  the  court  would  exert  its  whole  authority,  and 
even  proceed  to  tortures,  to  extort  from  him  a  confes- 
sion, viz.  that  the  several  articles  of  which  he  stands 
accused  are  trueJ^'' 

The  Inquisitors  then  gave  me  the  above  heads, 
ordering  me  to  sign  them,  which  I  absolutely  refus- 
ed. They  thereupon  commanded  me  to  be  taken 
back  to  my  dungeon,  without  permitting  me  to  say 
a  single  word  in  my  justification. 

I  now  had  but  too  much  leisure  to  reflect  on  their 
menaces  :  and  to  cast  about  for  answers  to  the  s^ff- 
eral  articles  concerning  masonry,  whereof  I  stood 
accused ;  all  which  articles  I  remembered  but  too 
well. 

Six  weeks  after,  I  appeared  in  presence  of  two 
Inquisitors,  and  the  person  whom  they  had  appoint- 
ed to  take  down  my  defence  ;  w  hich  was  little  more 
than  a  recapitulation  of  what  I  before  had  asserted 
with  regard  to  masonry. 

■"  Your  prisoner  (said  I  to  them,)  is  deeply  afflic- 


iO  SUFFER iNGS  OP 

ted,  and  touched  to  the  soul,  to  find  himself  accused, 
by  the  ignorance  or  malice  of  his  enemies,  in  an 
infernal  charge  or  indictment,  before  the  lords  of 
the  holy  office,  for  having  practised  the  art  of  free- 
masonry, which  has  been,  and  is  still,  revered,  not 
only  by  a  considerable  number  of  persons  of  the 
highest  quality  in  Christendom ;  but  likewise  by 
several  sovereign  princes  and  crowned  heads,  who, 
so  far  from  disdaining  to  become  members  of  this 
society,  submitted,  engaged  and  obhged  themselves, 
at  their  admission,  to  observe  religiously,  the  con- 
stitutions of  this  noble  art ;  noble  not  only  on  ac- 
count of  the  almost  infinite  number  of  illustrious 
personages  who  profess  it ;  but  still  more  so  from 
the  sentiments  of  humanity  with  which  it  equally 
inspires  the  rich  and  poor,  the  nobleman  and  artifi- 
cer, the  prince  and  subject :  for  these,  when  met  to- 
gether, are  upon  a  level  as  to  rank  ;  are  all  breth- 
ren, and  conspicuous  only  from  their  superiority  in 
virtue  :  in  fine,  this  art  is  noble,  from  the  charity 
which  the  society  of  free-masons  professedly  exer- 
cises ;  and  from  the  fraternal  love  with  which  it 
strongly  binds  and  cements  together  the  several  in- 
dividuals who  compose  it,  without  any  distinction 
as  to  religion  or  birth. 

"  Your  prisoner  thinks  it  very  hard  to  find  him- 
self thus  become  the  victim  of  this  tribunal,  merely 
because  he  belongs  to  so  venerable  a  society.  The 
rank  and  exalted  dignity  of  many  who  have  beeu 


JOHN    COUSTOS. 


41 


and  still  are  members  thereof,  should  be  considered 
as  faithful  and  speaking  witnesses,  now  pleading  in 
his  defence,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  brotherhood, 
so  unjustly  accused." 

"  Farther ;  could  any  one  suppose,  without  show- 
ing the  greatest  rashness,  or  being  guilty  of  the  high- 
est injustice  ;  that  christian  princes,  who  are  Christ's 
vicegerents  upon  earth,  would  not  only  tolerate  in 
their  dominions,  a  sect  that  should  favour  the  abom- 
inable crimes  of  w^hich  this  tribunal  accuses  it ;  but 
even  be  accompHces  therein,  by  their  entering  into 
the  society  in  question. 

"  What  I  have  said  above,  should  be  more  than 
sufficient  to  convince  your  lordships,  that  you  are 
quite  misinformed  as  to  masonry  •,  and  oblige  3^ou  to 
stop  all  prosecution  against  me.  However,  I  will 
here  add  some  remarks,  in  order  to  corroborate  my 
former  assertions  ;  and  destroy  the  bad  impressions 
that  may  have  been  made  on  your  lordship's  minds 
concerning  free-masonry.  * 

"  The  very  strict  inquiry  made  into  the  past  life 
and  conduct  of  all  persons  that  desire  to  be  received 
among  the  brotherhood  ;  and  who  are  never  admit- 
ted, except  the  strongest  and  most  indisputable  tes- 
timonies are  given,  of  their  having  lived  irreproach- 
ably ;  are  farther  indications,  that  this  society  is  not 
guilty  of  the  crimes  with  which  it  is  charged  by  your 
tribunal ;  the  utmost  precautions  being  taken  to  ex- 


42  SUFFERINGS    OF 

pel  from  this  society,  not  only  wicked  but  even  dis- 
orderly persons. 

"  The  works  of  charity,  which  the  brotherhood 
think  it  incumbent  on  themselves  to  exercise,  to- 
wards such  as  are  real  objects  of  compassion,  and 
whereof  I  have  given  your  lordships  some  few  in- 
stances ;  show  likewise,  that  it  is  morally  impossible 
for  a  society,  so  execrable  as  you  have  described 
that  of  the  free-masons  to  be,  to  practice  a  virtue 
so  generally  neglected  ;  and  so  opposite  to  the  love 
of  riches,  at  this  time  the  predominant  vice,  the 
root  of  all  evil. 

"  Besides,  wicked  and  disorderly  people  set  all 
laws  at  deiiance  ;  despise  kings,  and  the  magistrates 
established  by  them  for  the  due  administration  of 
justice.  Abandoned  men,  such  as  those  hinted  at 
here,  foment  insurrections  and  rebellions  ;  whereas 
free  masons  pay  an  awful  regard  to  the  prince  in 
whose  dominions  they  live  ;  yield  implicit  obedi- 
ence to  his  laws  ;  and  revere  in  the  magistrates, 
the  sacred  person  of  the  king,  by  whom  they  were 
nominated  ;  rooting  up,  to  the  utmost  of  their  pow- 
er, every  seed  of  sedition  and  rebellion  :  and  be- 
ing ready,  at  all  times,  to  venture  their  lives,  for 
the  security  both  of  the  prince,  and  of  his  govern- 
ment. 

Wicked  people,  when  assembled  together,  not 
dnly  take  perpetually  the  name  of  God  in  vain; 
but  blaspheme  and  deny  him  :  wheras  free-mason* 


JOHN  COUSTOS.  43 

punish  very  severely,  not  only  swearers,  but  like 
wise  such  as  utter  obscene  words :  and  expel  from 
their  society,  all  persons  hardened  in  those  vices. 
"  Wicked  people  contemn  religion  of  every  kind  5 
turn  it  into  ridicule,  and  speak  in  terms  unworthy 
of  the  deity  worshipped  in  them.  But  those  free- 
masons who  act  according  to  the  spirit  of  their  pro- 
fession, on  the  contrary  observing  a  respectful  si- 
lence on  this  occasion,  never  quarrel  with  the  reli- 
gious principles  of  any  person  5  but  live  together  in 
fraternal  love,  which  a  difference  of  opinion  cannot 
lessen."  I  closed  my  defence  with  the  four  lines 
following,  composed  by  a  free-mason  : 

Through  trackless  paths  each  brother  strays, 

And  nothing  selfish  can  entice  | 
Now  temples,  we  to  Virtue  raise  ; 

Now  dungeons  sink  to  conquer  Vice^i 

To  which  I  might  have  added^ 

But  here  the  opposite  is  found  ; 

Injustice  reigns,  and  killing  dread  i 
In  rankling  chains  bright  Virtue's  bound- 

And  Vice,  with  triumph  lifts  its  head. 

"  Such,  my  lords,  (continued  I)  are  our  true  and 
genuine  secrets.  I  now  wait,  with  all  possible  re- 
signation, for  whatever  you  shall  think  proper  to 
decree  ;  but  still  hope,  from  your  equity  and  jus- 
tice, that  you  vi^ill  not  pass  sentence  upon  me,  as 


44  SUFFERINGS    OF 

though  I  was  guilty  of  the  crimes  mentioned  in  the 
indictment,  upon  the  vain  pretence,  tiiat  inviolable 
secrecy  can  be  observed  in  such  things  only  as  are 
of  a  criminal  nature." 

I  was  remanded  back  to  my  usual  scene  of  woe. 
without  being  able  to  imagine  what  impression  my 
defence  might  have  made  on  my  judges.  A  few 
days  after,  I  was  brought  before  his  eminence  Car- 
dinal da  Cunha,  Inquisitor  and  director  general  of 
all  the  Inquisitions  dependent  on  the  Portuguese 
monarchy. 

The  president,  directing  himself  to  me  declared, 
that  the  holy  tribunal  was  assembled,  purposely  to 
hear  and  determine  my ,  cause  :  that  I  therefore 
should  examine  my  own  mind ;  and  see  whether  1 
had  no  other  arguments  to  offer  in  my  justification. 
1  replied,  "  that  I  had  none ;  but  relied  wholly  on 
thei»rectitude  and  equity."  Having  spoke  these 
words,  they  sent  me  back  to  my  sad  abode,  and 
judged  me  among  themselves. 

Some  time  after,  the  president  sent  for  me  again  ; 
when  being  brought  before  him,  he  ordered  a  paper, 
containing  part  of  my  sentence,  to  be  read.  I 
thereby  was  doomed  to  suffer  the  tortures  employed 
by  the  holy  office,  for  refusing  to  tell  the  truth,  as 
they  falsely  affirmed,  for  not  discovering  the  secrets 
of  masonry,  with  the  true  tendency  and  purpose  of 
the  meetings  of  the  brethren. 

\  hereupon  was  instantly  conveyed  to  the  torturf  • 


JOHN    COUSTOS. 


45 


room,  built  in  form  of  a  square  tower,  where  no 
light  appeared,  but  what  two  candles  gave  :  and  to 
prevent  the  dreadful  cries  and  shocking  groans  of 
the  unhappy  victims  from  reaching  the  ears  of  the 
other  prisoners,  the  doors  are  hned  with  a  sort  of 
quilt. 

The  reader  will  naturally  suppose  that  I  must  be 
seized  with  horror,  when,  at  my  entering  this  infer- 
nal place,  I  saw  myself,  on  a  sudden,  surrounded  by 
six  wretches,  who,  after  preparing  the  tortures, 
stripped  me  naked,  (all  to  linen  drawers,)  when, 
laying  me  on  my  back,  they  began  to  lay  hold  of 
every  part  of  my  body.  First,  they  put  round  my 
neck  an  iron  collar,  which  was  fastened  to  the  scaf- 
fold ;  they  then  fixed  a  ring  to  each  foot ;  and  this 
being  done,  they  stretched  my  limbs  with  all  their 
might.  They  next  wound  two  ropes  round  each 
arm,  and  two  round  each  thigh,  which  ropes  passed 
under  the  scaffold,  through  Tioles  made  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  were  all  drawn  tight  at  the  same  time,  by 
four  men,  upon  a  signal  made  for  this  purpose. 

The  reader  will  believe  that  my  pains  must  be 
intolerable,  when  I  solemnly  declare,  that  these 
ropes,  which  were  of  the  size  of  one's  little  finger, 
pierced  through  my  flesh  quite  to  the  bone  ;  making 
the  blood  gush  out  at  the  eight  different  places  that 
were  thus  bound.  As  I  persisted  in  refusing  to  dis- 
cover any  more  than  what  has  been  seen  in  the  in- 
terrogatories above  ;  the  ropes  were  thus  drawn  to- 


46  SUFFERINGS  OF 

gether  four  different  times.  At  my  side  stood  a 
physician  and  a  surgeon,  who  often  felt  my  temples, 
to  judge  of  the  danger  I  might  be  in ;  by  which 
means  my  tortures  were  suspended,  at  intervals? 
that  I  might  have  an  opportunity  of  recovering  my- 
self a  little. 

Whilst  I  was  thus  suffering,  they  were  so  barbar- 
ously unjust  as  to  declare,  that  were  I  to  die  under 
the  torture,  I  should  be  guilty,  by  my  obstinacy,  of 
eelf-murder.  In  fine,  the  last  time  the  ropes  were 
drawn  tight,  I  grew  so  exceedingly  weak,  occasion- 
ed by  the  blood's  circulation  being  stopped,  and 
the  pains  I  endured,  that  I  fainted  quite  away  ;  inso- 
much that  I  was  carried  back  to  my  dungeon,  with- 
out perceiving  it. 

These  barbarians  finding  that  the  tortures  above 
described  could  not  extort  any  further  discovery 
from  me  ;  but  that  the  more  they  made  me  suffer, 
the  more  fervently  I  addressed  my  supphcations,  for 
patience,  to  heaven ;  they  were  so  inhuman  six 
weeks  after,  as  to  expose  me  to  another  kind  of  tor- 
ture, more  grievous,  if  possible,  than  the  former. 
They  made  mc  stretch  my  arms  in  such  a  manner, 
that  the  palms  of  my  hands  were  turned  outward  ; 
when  by  the  help  of  a  rope  that  fastened  them  to- 
gether at  the  Avrist,  and  which  they  turned  by  an  en- 
gine ;  they  drew  them  gently  nearer  to  one  anoth-: 
er  behind,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  back  of  each 
hand  touched,  and  stood  exactly  parallel  one  to  the 


JOHN"  COUSTO&.  47 

other ;  whereby  both  my  shoulders  were  disloca- 
ted, and  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood  issued 
from  my  mouth.  This  torture  was  repeated 
thrice ;  after  which  I  was  again  taken  to  my  dun- 
geon, and  put  into  the  hands  of  physicians  and  sur- 
geons, who,  in  setting  my  bones,  put  me  to  exqui- 
site pain. 

Two  months  after,  being  a  little  recovered,  I  was 
again  conveyed  to  the  torture-room ;  and  there 
made  to  undergo  another  kind  of  punishment  twice. 
The  reader  may  judge  of  its  horror,  from  the  fol- 
lowing description  thereof. 

The  torturers  turned  twice  round  my  body  a  thick 
iron  chain,  which,  crossing  upon  my  stomach,  ter- 
minated afterwards  at  my  wrists.  They  next  set 
my  back  against  a  thick  board,  at  each  extremity 
whereof  was  a  pulley,  through  which  there  run  a 
rope,  that  catchefl  the  ends  of  the  chains  at  my 
wrists.  The  tormentors  then  stretched  these 
ropes,  by  means  of  a  roller,  pressed  or  bruised  my 
stomach,  in  proportion  as  the  ropes  were  drawn 
tighter.  They  tortured  me  on  this  occasion  to 
such  a  degree,  that  my  wrists  and  shoulders  were 
put  out  of  joint. 

The  surgeons,  however,  set  them  presently  af- 
ter ;  but  the  barbarians  not  having  yet  satiated 
their  cruelty,  made  me  undergo  this  torture  a  sec- 
ond time,  which  I  did  with  fresh  pains,  though  with 
equal  constancy  and  resolution.      1  was  then  re- 


48  SUFFERINGS  OF 

manded  back  to  my  dungeon,  attended  by  the  sur- 
geons who  dressed  my  bruises  ;  and  here  I  contin- 
ued till  their  Auto  da  Fe,  or  gaol  dehvery. 

The  reader  may  judge  from  the  faint  description, 
of  the  dreadful  anguish  I  must  have  laboured  under, 
the  nine  different  times  they  put  me  to  the  torture. 
Most  of  my  limbs  were  put  out  of  joint,  and  bruised 
in  such  a  manner,  that  1  was  unable,  during  some 
weeks,  to  lift  my  hand  to  my  mouth  ;  my  body  be- 
ing vastly  swelled,  by  the  inflamations  caused  by  the 
frequent  dislocations.  I  have  but  too  much  reason 
to  fear,  that  I  shall  feel  the  sad  effects  of  this  cruel- 
ty so  long  as  I  live  ;  being  seized  from  time  to  time 
with  thrilling  pains,  with  which  I  never  was  afflict- 
ed, till  I  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  the  merci- 
less and  bloody  hands  of  the  Inquisitors. 

The  day  of  the  Auto  da  Fe  being  com*,  I  was 
made  to  walk  in  the  procession,  with  the  other  vic- 
tims of  this  tribunal.  Being  come  to  St.  Dominic's 
church,  my  senntence  was  read,  by  which  I  was 
condemned  to  the  galley  (as  they  term  it)  during 
four  years. 

Four  days  after  this  procession,  I  was  conveyed 
to  this  galley  ;  and  joined,  on  the  morrow,  in  the 
painful  occupation  of  my  fellow  slaves.  However, 
the  liberty  I  had  of  speaking  to  my  friends,  after 
having  been  deprived  of  even  the  sight  of  them, 
during  my  tedious,  wretched  abode  in  the  prison  of 
the  Inquisition  ;  the  open  air  I  now  breathed  ;  with 


*OHN   COUSTOS.  49 

the  satisfaction  I  felt  in  being  freed  from  the  dread- 
ful apprehensions  which  always  overspread  my 
mind,  whenever  I  reflected  on  the  uncertainty  of 
my  fate ;  these  circumstances  united,  made  me 
find  the  toils  of  the  galley  much  more  supportable. 

As  I  had  suffered  greatly  in  my  body,  by  the  tor- 
tures inflicted  on  me  m  the  prison  of  the  Inquisition, 
of  which  the  reader  has  seen  a  very  imperfect, 
though  faithful  narni  ve,  in  the  foregoing  sheets; 
I  was  quite  unfit  to  go  about  the  painful  labour  that 
was  immediately  allotted  me,  viz.  the  carrying  wa- 
ter (an  hundred  pounds  Aveight)  to  the  prisons  of 
the  city.  But  the  fears  I  was  under,  of  being  ex- 
posed to  the  inhumanity  of  the  guards  or  overseers 
who  accompany  the  galley  slaves,  caused  me  to  ex- 
ert myself  so  far  beyuixl  my  strength,  that,  twelve 
days  after,  I  fell  grievously  sick.  1  was  sent  to  the 
Infirmary,  where  I  continued  two  months.  During 
my  abode  in  this  place,  I  was  often  visited  by  the 
Irish  friars  belonging  to  the  convent  of  Corpo  San- 
to, who  offered  to  get  my  release,  provided  I  v/ould 
turn  Roman  Catholic.  I  assured  them,  that  all 
their  endeavours  would  le  fruitless  ;  I  expecting 
my  enlargement  from  the  /mighty  alone,  who,  if 
He,  in  his  profound  wisdom  tr.ought  proper,  would 
point  out  other  expedients  for  my  obtaining  it,  than 
my  becoming  an  apostate. 

Being  unable,  after  this,  to  go  through  the  toils  to 
which  I  had  been  sentenced,  I  was  excused,  by  my 
5 


bo  fJUFFERiNGS    OF 

amp] y  rewarding  the  overseers.  It  was  now  that  I 
had  full  leisure,  to  reflect  seriously  on  the  means  of 
obtaining  my  liberty  ;  and,  for  this  purpose,  desired 
a  friend  to  write  to  my  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Barbu, 
to  inform  him  of  my  deplorable  state  ;  and  to  in- 
treat  him,  humbly  to  address  the  earl  of  Harrington 
in  my  favour  ;  my  brother-in-law  having  the  honour 
to  live  in  his  lordship's  family.  This  nobleman, 
whose  humanity  and  generosity  have  been  the 
theme  of  infinitely  more  able  pens  than  mine,  was 
so  good  as  to  endeavour  to  procure  my  freedom. 
Accordingly,  his  lordship  spoke  to  his  grace  the 
duke  of  Newcastle,  one  of  the  principal  secreta- 
ries of  state  ;  with  a  view  to  supplicate  for  leave, 
from  our  sovereign,  that  his  minister  at  Lisbon 
might  demand  me,  as  a  subject  of  Great-Britain. 

His  Majesty  interposing  in  my  favour,  and  his 
commands  being  dispatched  to  Mr.  Compton,  the 
British  minister  at  Lisbon,  that  gentleman  demand- 
ed my  liberty  of  the  king  of  Portugal,  in  his  Britan- 
ic  i^ajesty's  name ;  which  I  accordingly  obtained 
the  latter  end  of  October,  1744.  The  person  who 
came  and  released  me  from  the  galley,  by  order  of 
the  Inquisitors,  took  me  before  them.  The  presi- 
dent then  told  me,  that  Cardinal  da  Cunha  had  giv- 
en orders  for  my  being  released.  At  the  same 
time,  he  bid  me  return  to  the  holy  office  in  three  or 
four  days. 

I  could  perceive,  during  this  interval,  that  I  was 


JOHN  COUSTOS.  01 

lollDwed  by  the  spies  of  the  Inquisition,  who  kept  a 
watchful  eye  over  my  behaviour,  and  the  places  I 
frequented.  I  waited  upon  our  envoy,  as  likewise 
upon  our  consul,  whom  I  informed  of  the  com- 
mands which  had  been  laid  upon  me  at  the  In- 
quisition ;  and  those  gentlemen  advised  me  to 
obey  them.  They  cautioned  me,  however,  to  take 
a  friend  with  me,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  them  no- 
tice, should  I  be  seized  again.  Accordingly  I  re- 
turned to  the  Inquisitors  five  day-:  after,  when  the 
president  declared  ;  "that  the  tribunal  would  not 
permit  me  to  continue  any  longer  in  Portugal ;  and 
therefore  that  I  must  name  the  city  and  kingdom 
whither  I  intended  to  retire."  I  replied,  "i^hat  as 
my  family  was  noAV  in  London,  I  design  to  go  thith- 
er as  soon  as  possible."  They  then  bid  me  eni- 
bark  in  the  first  ship  that  should  sail  for  England  ; 
adding,  that  the  instant  I  had  found  one,  I  must  in- 
form them  of  the  day  and  hour  I  intended  to  go  on 
board,  together  with  the  captain's  name,  and  that 
of  his  ship. 

A  report  prevailed  some  days  after,  that  one  of 
the  persons  seized  by  the  Inquisition  for  free-ma- 
sonry, and  who  obtained  his  liberty  by  turning  Ro- 
man Catholic,  had  been  so  indiscreet  as  to  divulge 
the  cruelties  exercised  in  this  tribunal. 

I  now  imagined  that  prudence  required  me  to  se- 
cure myself  from  a  second  persecution.  As  there 
was.  at  this  time,  no  Enghsh  ship  in  the  port  of  Lis- 


52  SUFFERINGS  OF 

bon,  1  waited  npon  Mr.  Vantil,the  re«i dent  of  Hol- 
land, and  besought  bim  to  speak  to  the  Dutch  ad- 
miral to  atJmit  me  on  board  his  fleet.  The  resident, 
touched  with  my  calamities,  hinted  my  request 
to  the  admiral,  who  generously  complied  with  it. 
I  then  went,  together  with  a  friend,  and  informed 
the  Inquisitor,  that  I  designed  to  embark  for  Eng- 
land, in  the  Damietta,  commanded  by  vice  admiral 
Cornehus  Screiver,  who  was  to  sail  in  a  few  days. 
Upon  the  Inquisitor's  inquiring  the  exact  time  when 
1  intended  to  go  on  board ;  I  replied,  at  nine  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  He  then  bid  me  come  to  him 
precisely  at  that  hour  ;  adding,  that  he  would  send 
some  officers  of  the  Inquisition  to  see  me  on  ship- 
board. 

These  orders  giving  me  great  uneasiness,  I  wait- 
ed upon  the  several  gentlemen  above  mentioned  : 
when  telling  them  the  injunctions  laid  upon  me» 
they  advised  me  to  act  very  cautiously  on  this  oc- 
casion. I  therefore  thought  it  would  be  safest  for 
me  to  go  on  board  immediately,  without  giving  any 
notice  of  it  to  the  Inquisitors.  We  lay  at  anchor, 
after  this,  near  three  weeks  before  Lisbon. 

The  Inquisitor  no  sooner  found  that  I  failed 
coming  to  him  at  the  time  appointed,  in  order  to 
be  conducted  to  the  ship,  than  he  sent  out  about  fif- 
ty spies.  Nine  of  these  coming  to  inquire  after 
me,  at  the  house  where  I  used  to  lodge,  searched 
it   from  top  to   bottom  j  examining  every  trunk,. 


^OHN    COUSTOS.  53 

chest  of  drawers  and  closet.  But  their  endeav- 
ours to  find  me  being  fruitless,  some  of  the  officers 
of  the  Inquisition  getting  into  a  boat,  rowed  sever- 
al times  round  the  three  Dutch  men  of  war  lying  at 
anchor.  These  officers  imagined,  that  if  I  was  on 
board,  and  consequently  in  a  place  of  security,  I 
should  not  be  afraid  of  showing  myself;  a  circum- 
stance that  would  have  put  an  end  to  their  search, 
which  cost  them  some  pains  and  expense.  As  I 
did  not  gratify  their  curiosity,  and  we  weighed  an- 
chor a  few  days  after,  I  know  not  whether  they  con- 
tinued it. 

Their  search  was  so  open,  both  at  the  house 
where  1  lodged,  as  well  as  at  other  places,  that  I 
was  soon  informed  of  it ;  at  which  I  should  have 
been  delighted,  had  not  my  joy  been  damped  by 
the  apprehension  I  was  under,  lest  my  dear  friend, 
Mr.  Mouton,  the  companion  of  my  sufferings  and 
tortures,  merely  on  account  of  free-masonry,  should 
likewise  fall  a  victim  to  .their  barbarity.  Speaking 
concerning  him  to  the  admiral,  he  with  the  utmost 
humanity,  gave  me  leave  to  send  for  him  on  board i, 
He  coming  accordingly  next  day,  was  received, 
with  great  satisfaction,  by  the  whole  ship's  compa- 
ny, especially  by  myself,  I  having  a  peculiar  esteem 
for  him,  which  I  shall  ever  entertain. 

We  set  sail  two  days  after.  We  had  occasion 
to  observe,  during  our  whole  voyage,  the  true  plea- 
sure which  a  generous  mind  feels,  in  doing  a  hu- 


M  SUFFERINGS  OF 

mane  action,  and  in  protecting  the  unhappy.  Thi^ 
was  particularly  conspicuous  in  the  admiral,  he  or- 
dering the  utmost  care  to  be  taken  of  us,  all  the  time 
we  were  on  board  his  ship  ;  he  sometimes  conde- 
scending to  admit  us  to  his  table,  when  he  would 
talk  to  us  with  the  utmost  familiarity.  This  dis- 
tinction won  us  the  civility  of  every  person  in  the 
ship,  which  continued  till  our  arrival  at  Portsmouth, 
v/here  we  landed  ;  without  having  been  put  to  a 
farthing's  expense,  during  the  whole  voyage. 

All  these  favoui-s,  so  generously  bestowed  by  the 
admiral,  call  aloud  for  the  strongest  acknowledg- 
ments of  gratitude. 

To  conclude,  I  arrived  in  London  the  1 5th  of  De- 
cember, 1 744,  after  a  long  and  dangerous  voyage. 

I  here  return  thanks,  with  all  the  powers  of  my 
soul,  to  the  Aimighty,  for  his  having  so  visibly  pro- 
tected me  from  that  infernal  band  of  friars,  who 
employed  the  various  tortures  mentioned  in  the  for- 
mer pages,  in  order  to  force  me  to  apostatize  from 
my  holy  religion, 

I  return  our  sovereign  King  George  11.  (the  in- 
strument under  heaven  for  procuring  me  my  liber- 
ty) the  most  dutiful  and  most  respectful  thanks,  for 
his  so  graciously  condescending  to  interpose  in  fa- 
vour of  an  ill-fated  galley  slave.  I  shall  retain,  so 
long  as  I  have  breath,  the  deepest  sensations  of  af- 
fection and  loyalty  for  his  sacred  person  ;  and  will 
be  ever  ready  to  expose  my  life,  for  his  majesty  and 
his  most  august  family. 


ORIGIN 

OF  THE 

INQUISITION, 

AND  ITS  ESTABLISHMENT  IN  VARIOUS  COUNTRIES, 


The  Roman  pontiffs  employed  every  expedient, 
and  set  every  engine  at  work  (among  which  none 
has  served  their  purpose  better  than  rehgion)  for 
the  purpose  of  increasing  their  authority.  Pre- 
tending to  be  the  successors  of  St.  Peter,  they  as- 
cribe to  themselves  characteristics  of  hohness  su- 
perior even  to  that  of  the  apostles  ;  and  were  so 
extravagant  as  to  boast  of  being  infallible.  Mon- 
archs,  infatuated  with  this  pretended  sanctity  of  the 
popes,  whom  they  considered  as  deities  upon  earth, 
and  dispensers  of  celestial  blessings,  strove  to  rival 
one  another  in  bestowing  territories  upon  these 
pontiffs,  in  hopes  of  obtaining  their  favour  ;  adding 
such  extensive  privileges,  that  they  became  at  last, 
the  arbiters  of  crowned  heads,  who  did  not  discov- 
er, till  it  was  too  late,  that  they  themselves  had 
become  slaves  to  papal  authority. 

Some  of  these  princes  being  oppressed  with  the 
weight  of  their  chains,  and  desirous  of  throwing 
them  off,  resisted  the  will  of  the  holy  father,  and 


ORIGIN  56 

thereupon  were  declared  heretics,  and  excommuni- 
cated.— Nor  did  the  popes  stop  here ;  for  if  the 
kings  persisted  in  their  obstinacy,  they  were  de- 
throned, and  their  dominions  given  to  others,  who 
'  readily  offered  to  pay  the  obedience  claimed  by  the 
see  of  Rome. 

.^he  emperors,  jealous  to  see  the  Roman  pontiffs 
auQ  their  adherents,  extending  their  authority  so 
far  beyond  its  just  limits,  did  all  that  lay  in  their 
|)ower  to  restrain  and  reduce  it  within  narrow 
bounds.  About  the  middle  of  the  eleventh  century 
there  broke  out  violent  contests  between  them, 
which  raged  about  fifty  years. 

The  emperors  and  popes  being  thus  exasperated 
against  each  other,  no  longer  acted  in  concert,  to 
suppress  heresy ;  so  that  these  commotions  gave 
occasion  to  the  starting  up  of  several  new  heresi- 
archs.  Hitherto  the  latter  had  opposed  only  the 
mysteries ;  but  now,  leaving  them,  they  attacked 
morality  and  discipline,  and  especially  the  papal 
authority.  This  was  more  than  sufficient  to  open 
the  eyes  of  the  court  of  Rome,  with  regard  to  the 
danger  which  threatened  it,  in  case  a  speedy  reme- 
dy should  not  be  found,  to  check  these  heretics, 
before  the  contagion  was  become  general  ;  under 
favour  of  the  disputes  subsisting  between  the  em- 
peror and  the  pope." 

But  as  these  heretics,  or  rather  enemies  of  the 
poatifical  authority  of  Rome,  were  exceedingly  nu- 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  57 

merous  ;  not  to  mention  their  being  supported, 
clandestinely,  by  kings  ;  the  popes  were  forced  at 
first,  to  wink  at,  and  evfen  tolerate  them,  till  such 
time  as  an  opportunity  might  offer,  for  suppressing, 
or  rather  rooting  them  out.  For  this  reason,  the 
Roman  pontiffs  now  contented  themselves  with  wri- 
ting often  to  the  princes,  magistrates  and  bisho^  v ; 
exhorting  them  to  exert  their  utmost  endeavours, 
to  extirpate  the  enemies  of  the  see  of  Rome.  How- 
ever, princes  and  magistrates  took  litlte  pains  to 
check  them  ;  whether  it  were  that  they  did  not  care 
to  sacrifice  a  people  who  were  of  so  much  use  to 
them,  in  restraining  the  papal  authority,  and  increa- 
sing their  own  ;  or,  whether  they  did  not  think 
them  so  criminal  as  the  popes  pretended  ;  or  wheth- 
er politics,  which  often  vary  according  to  times  and 
interests,  caused  them  to  consider  these  heretics  as 
persons  whom  it  was  incumbent  on  them  to  tolerate, 
for  their  own  advantage. 

The  bishops,  either  through  indolence  or  because 
they  had  not  sufficient  strength  to  oppose  the  stream, 
were  equally  unsuccessful,  whereby  heretics  be- 
came so  powerful,  that  at  length,  they  were  able  to 
make  head  against  the  see  of  Rome. 

The  Arnaldists*  who  were  among  these,  reduced 

*So  called  from  Arnaldus  of  Brescia,  an  heretic  in  the  12th 
century.  He  inveighed  against  the  temporalities  of  the  church, 
and  even  a<,'ainst  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper.  This  heresi- 
arch,  after  exciting  troubles  in  Brescia  and  Rome,  was  hanged 
in  the  latter  city,  A.  D.  1155,  and  his  ashes  thrown  into  the  Ti- 
ber. Tlie  followers  of  Anthony  Arnauld  (the  Jansenists)  were 
also  named  Arnaldists. 


58  ORIGIN 

the  popes  to  the  greatest  distresses  ;  forcing  them, 
more  than  once,  to  quit  Rome,  and  to  seek  an  asy- 
lum elsewhere,  to  secure  themselves  from  their 
fury. 

The  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  (people  of 
France)  rising  up  after  them,  were  no  less  enemies 
to  the  authority  usurped  by  the  Roman  pontiff,  nor 
less  zealous  in  attacking  it  :  and  the  protection  in- 
dulged those  people  by  Raymond  Count  de  Toul- 
ouse, and  by  Counts  de  Foix  and  de  Comminges, 
caused  them  to  be  still  more  enterprising  and  more 
formidable. 

Pope  Innocent  III.  a  man  of  great  spirit,  and  fortu- 
nate in  his  enterprizes,  formed  a  design  of  promul- 
gating a  crusade*  against  them,  which  had  been  of 
such  vast  service  to  his  predecessors,  with  a  view  of 
increasing  their  authority  ;  but  he  thought  it  neces- 
sary, before  he   carried    things  to  extremities,  to 


*The  crusades  were  military  expeditions,  established  against 
the  infidels,  and  first  preached  by  Peter  the  hermit.  Though  the 
glorv  of  God  was  the  pretended  motive  of  them,  yet  many  went 
merely  out  of  venal  views,  and  others  through  fear  of  being  re- 
proached with  cowardice.  Such  as  designed  to  enlist  among  the 
crusades,  distinguished  themselves  from  other  people,  by  wearing 
crosses  of  different  colours  on  their  clothes,  according  to  their  na- 
tion :  the  crosses  of  the  English  being  white  ;  of  the  French,  red  : 
of  the  Germans,  black,  &c.  Eight  crusades  were  undertaken 
for  the  conquest  of  the  Holy  Land  :  the  first  A.  D.  1095,  in  the 
council  of  Clermont ;  and  the  last,  under  St.  Lewis  of  France, 
A.  D.  1288.  The  Cistercians  first  formed  the  plan  of  these  cru- 
sades. A  history  in  French,  of  the  crusade  against  the  Albigen- 
ses, was  published  at  Roan,  in  1703.  About  the  middle  of  the 
12th  century,  a  crusade  of  Saxons  was  established  against  the 
heathens  of  the  north.  Religion  was  as  much  a  fashion  in  tliesf 
dark  times,  as  cloathes,  &c. 


OP  THE  mquisiTiON.  59 

have  recourse  to  gentle  methods.  .  For  this  pur- 
pose, he  sent  into  Languedoc,  missionaries,  at 
whose  head  were  Dominic,  a  native  of  Old  Castle, 
who  had  lately  founded  an  order  of  friars,  called 
from  his  name  ;  together  with  the  blessed  Peter  of 
Chateauiieuf  (as  he  is  termed  by  the  Romanist)  who 
was  butchered  at  Toulouse,  anno  1200.  And  now 
the  pope,  resolving  to  employ  temporal  weapons 
against  them,  published  a  crusade,  whereby  indul- 
gences were  granted  to  all  such  as  should  take  up 
arms,  or  furnish  monies,  kc.  for  assisting  this  en- 
terprise against  the  Mahommedaos ;  for  thus  he 
called  those  people,  to  inllame  still  more  the  cru- 
saders against  them.*  The  papal  arms  being  suc- 
cessful, Raymund  submitted  himself  (about  the 
year  1209,  and  gave  as  a  pledge  of  his  word,  seven 
of  the  chief  towns  in  Province  and  Langueodoc. 
On  this  occasion  several  cities  were  taken,  and  the 
most  shocking  cruelties  practised  ;  numberless  mul- 
tit ades  of  the  inhabitants  being  put  to  the  sword, 
without  distinction  of  age  or  sex.  Counts  de  Foix, 
de  Comminges,  and  de  Beziere,  afterwards  follow- 
ed the  example  of  Raymund.  Count  Simon  de 
Montford,  general  of  the  church,  signalized  himself 
but  too  much  at  the  head  of  these  crusaders. 

The  origin  of  the  Inquisition  is  thus  related,  by 
Fleury,  in  his  ecclesiastical  history. 


*This  Innocent  having:  ^^en  a  famous  lawyer,  he  by  a  quirk, 
pronounced  these  heretics  to  be  Mahommeclans,  viz.  because 
both  were  eaemies  to  the  church. 


60  ORIGIN 

"In  1198,  Innocent  III.  sent  into  the  southern 
provinces  of  France,  two  Cistercian  monks,  Reini- 
er  and  Gui,  to  convert  the  Manichees,  with  which 
those  parts  swarmed  :  to  excommunicate  the  obsti- 
nate ;  and  to  command  the  lords  to  confiscate  the 
possessions  of  the  excommunicated  ;  to  banish  them 
and  punish  them  with  severity  ;  empowering,  at  the 
same  time,  Reiner  to  force  the  lords  likewise  ;  to 
excommunicate  them,  and  put  their  lands  under 
sequestration.  These  commissioners,  thus  sent 
against  the  heretics,  were  afterwards  called  Inquis- 
itors." The  Jesuits  of  Trevoux  observe,  that 
"the  council  of  Narbonne,  held  in  1235,  and  that 
of  Beziers  in  1 246,  gave  the  Dominicians  (Inquisi- 
tors) in  the  provinces  of  Aries,  of  Aix,  of  Embrum, 
and  Vienne,  a  rule  of  ordinance,  consisting  of  thir- 
ty-seven articles,  and  these  were  the  basis  of  the 
procedures  which  have  been  observed,  since  that 
time,  in  the  tribunals  of  the  Inquisition. 

Some  imagine  that  they  find  the  origin  of  the  In- 
quisition,  in  a  constitution  made  by  pope  Lucius,  in 
the  council  of  Verona,  anno  1184;  because  that 
he  commands  bishops  to  examine  personally,  or  by 
commissioners,  people  suspected  of  heresy  ;  distin- 
guishes the  various  degrees  of  persons  suspected, 
convicted,  penitent,  or  relapsed,  for  all  whom  dif- 
ferent punishments  are  enacted ;  and  that,  after  the 
church  has  employed,  against  criminals,  spiritual 
weapons,  it  delivers  them  over  to  the  secular  arm. 


OF  THE  INq^ISITION,  61 

for  corporeal  punishments  to  be  inflicted  on  them  ; 
experience  having  shown,  (says  my  Romish  author) 
that  several  christians,  and  particularly  the  new 
heretics  of  this  age,  httle  regarded  ecclesiastical 
censures,  and  despised  these  spiritual  punishments. 
What  blessed  times  were  these,  when  ignorance, 
superstition,  and  tyranny  swayed  the  earth ! 


UAWld    OF 

THE  INQUISITION  IN  FRANCE, 

WITH  THE  FARTHER  CONTESTS  BETWEEN  THE  EM- 
PEROR AND  P0PES. 


This  open  war  against  the  Albigenses  and  Wal- 
denses,  was  followed  by  the  establishment  of  the 
Inquisition,  which  completed  the  destruction  of  the 
unhappy  people  in  question.  It  had  been  founded, 
a  little  before,  by  pope  Innocent  III.  under  the  di- 
rection of  Dominic,  upon  whom  the  title  of  saint 
was  bestowed. 

This  pope,  reflecting  that  what  open  force  soev- 
er might  be  exerted  against  them,  still  vast  numbers 
would  carry  on  their  worship  in  private,  thought  it 
necessary  to  establish  a  standing  and  perpetual 
remedy  •,  that  is,  a  tribunal  composed  of  men,  whose 
sole  occupation  should  be  the  searching  after,  and 
punishing  heretics.  This  tribunal  was  named, 
**  Tbe  Inquisition,"  and  Dominic  was  the  first  In- 
quisitor. 

Dominic  having  been  sent,  as  was  observed,  to 
Toulouse,  to  convert  the  heretics,  took  up  his  res- 
idence at  the  house  of  a  nobleman  of  this  city,  in- 
fected with  heresy.  However,  our  missionary  found 


INQUISITION    OF    FRANCE.  63 

means  to  bring  him  back  to  the  church  ;  after  which 
the  nobleman  devoted  his  house,  with  his  family,  to 
St.  Dominic  and  his  order.  The  tribunal  of  the  In- 
quisition was  established  in  this  place,  which  is  still 
called  "  The  house  of  the  Inquisition." 

It  may  hence  be  concluded,  that  Dominic  was 
the  first  Inquisitor,  and  Toulouse  the  first  city  where 
the  Inquisition  was  settled.  Some  say  that  it  was 
in  1208,  and  others  in  1212,  or  1215  ;  but  which- 
soever may  be  the  true  aera,  is  of  no  great  conse- 
quence. 

These  Inquisitors  had,  at  first  no  particular  tribu- 
nal, their  function  being  only  to  inquire  or  search 
after  heretics  (whence  the  former  received  their 
name)  to  examine  into  their  number,  strength  and 
riches ;  which  being  done,  tliey  made  a  report  there- 
of to  the  bishops,  who,  as  yet,  were  the  only  per- 
sons authorized  to  take  cognizance  of  spiritual  mat- 
ters. On  these  occasions,  the  Inquisitors  urged  the 
prelates  to  excommunicate  and  punish  all  heretics 
who  should  be  impeached. 

Pope  Innocent  being  dissatisfied  with  the  indo- 
lence of  the  bishops,  and  their  officials  (judgess) 
whose  zeal  he  thought  much  too  lukewarm  agahist 
heretics  ;  imagined  he  perceived,  in  the  Dominican 
and  Franciscan  friars,  whose  orders  were  but  lately 
founded,  all  the  qualities  requisite  for  directing  this 
new  establishment.  The  monks  of  those  orders 
were  fired  with  an  implicit  and  boundless  zeal  for 


64  INCtUlSlTION 

the  court  of  Rome,  and  wholly  devoted  to  its  in- 
terests. They  had  full  leisure  to  pursue  that  glo- 
rious work,  as  this  would  be  their  only  business. 
They  were  descended  from  the  dregs  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  had  no  kindred,  as  it  were,  or  any  other  tic 
which  might  check  the  rigours  of  this  tribunal ;  they 
were  severe  and  inflexible  ;  the  solitude  and  aus- 
tere life  professed  by  them,  and  of  which  they  seem- 
ed already  tired  ;  the  meanness  of  their  dress  and 
monasteries,  so  widely  different  from  their  present 
state  ;  and  especially  the  humility  and  mendicant 
life  to  which  they,  perhaps,  had  too  heedlessly  de- 
voted themselves  ;  rendered  them  exceedingly  fit 
for  the  office  in  question,  which,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  pontiffs,  would  soften  the  asperity  of  their  vows, 
and  soothe  their  ambition,  some  seeds  whereof  were 
still  left  in  their  minds.  The  Roman  pope  having 
thus  made  sure  of  a  set  of  people,  so  firmly  devoted 
to  his  service,  and  so  admirably  well  qualified  to 
exercise  an  employment,  whose  chief  characteris- 
tics are  extreme  severity  and  cruelty  ;  souglit  for 
every  opportunity  to  increase  their  authority,  by 
appointing  them  a  particular  tribunal,  where  they 
were  to  sit,  hear,  and  pronounce  sentence  against 
heresies  and  heretics,  as  judges  delegated  by  him, 
and  representing  his  person. 

This  pope  first  enlarged  their  authority,  by  em- 
powering them  to  bestow  indulgencies,  to  publish 
crusades,  and  to  excite  nations  and  princes  to  join 


hlP   FRANCE.  65 

the  crusaders,  and  march  forth  in  order  to  extirpate 
heresy. 

hi  1244,  the  emperor  Frederic  II.  increased  their 
power  much  more,  by  pubhshing  four  edicts  in  Pa- 
via.  He  therein  declared  himself  the  protector  of 
the  Inquisitors  ;  decreed  that  the  clergy  should  take 
cognizance  of  heresy,  and  the  lay  judges  prosecute 
heretics,  after  that  the  former  had  heard  them.  He 
likewise  enacted  that  ail  obstinate  heretics  should 
be  burnt ;  and  such  as  repented,  imprisoned  for 
life.  The  reason  why  Frederic  testified  so  much 
zeal  for  the  christian  religion  was,  to  destroy  the 
report  which  the  popes,  with  whom  he  had  been 
engaged  in  violent  contests,  spread,  throughout  all 
the  courts  of  Christendom,  viz.  that  he  intended  to 
renounce  the  Christian  religion,  and  turn  Mahome- 
tan. This,  very  probably,  induced  him  to  exert 
himself  with  greater  severity  against  the  heretics, 
than  any  of  his  predecessors  5  he  being  the  lirst  em- 
peror who  sentenced  to  death  all  heretics  without 
distinction. 

Du  Cange  tells  us,  that  the  Inquisitors  were  es- 
tablished in  this  country  about  the  year  1229,  against 
the  Waldenses,  by  the  council  of  Toulouse  ;  which 
Inquisitors  were  chosen  from  among  the  Domini- 
cans ;  and  some  were  appointed  under  Francis  I. 
against  the  Lutherans  ;  and  established,  by  a  bull  of 
pope  Clement  VII.  in  1525.  Though  the  tribunal 
of  the  Inquisition  was  never  settled  in  France,  after 
€  * 


66  INQUISITION 

the  same  manner  as  in  Spain  and  Italy,  yet  Inquisi- 
tors we  deleg§.ted  to  France,  during  many  years, 
by  the  pope  ;  to  preserve  the  purity  of  doctrine, 
and  keep  the  people  obedient  to  the  church. 
Twelve  years  after  the  death  of  St.  Dominic,  pope 
Gregory  IX.  named  two  friars  of  the  same  order, 
anno  1233,  to  exercise  the  like  functions  ;  and  this 
apostolical  commission  was  perpetuated,  not  only 
in  the  convent  of  Toulouse,  but  extended  to  several 
other  convents  in  the  kingdom.  One  of  the  com- 
missioners, nominated  in  the  cause  of  the  Knights 
Templars,  was  the  Inquisitor  general  in  France. 
We  find  by  P historic  de  la  Pucelle  d^  Orleans,  (the 
maid  of  Orleans)  that,  anno  1430,  John  Magistri, 
vicegerent  (substitute)  of  John  Goverant,  Inquisi- 
tor of  the  faith,  was  one  of  her  judges  •,  that  33 
years  after,  John  Brehal  (who  was  an  Inquisitor) 
and  some  prelates,  deputed  by  Pope  Paulus  II.  de- 
clared her  innocent.  It  does  not  appear  that  there 
were,  from  this  time  till  the  reign  of  Francis  I.  any 
Inquisitors  of  this  sort  in  France  ;  whether  it  were 
that  the  popes  did  not  think  them  necessary,  in  an 
age  when  errors  were  in  a  great  measure  rooted 
Up  ;  or  that  the  then  reigning  princes,  being  more 
jealous  of  the  regal  authority  than  their  predeces- 
sors, would  not  suffer  any  infringement  (as  this 
seemed  to  be)  of  the  liberties  of  the  Gallican 
church.  See  father  Bouhour's  life  of  St.  Ignatius, 
Book  II.     This  author  observes  farther,  that,  under 


OF    FRANCE.  67 

Francis  I.  Matthew  Ori  was  raised  by  Pope  Clemeni 
VII.  to  the  employment  of  Inquisitor,  on  occasion 
of  the  heresies  of  Germany. — There  are  now 
no  footsteps  of  the  Inquisition  left  in  France,  except 
in  Toulouse,  where  there  is  an  Inquisitor,  a  Domin- 
ican ;  but  then  his  authority  relates  only  to  the  ex- 
amining of  books  concerning  doctrine. 

The  Inquisition  would  have  been  introduced  into 
this  kingdom  under  Francis  11.  had  not  the  excel- 
lent Mighel  de  I'Hospital,  chancellor  of  France, 
strongly  opposed  that  design.  "  When  the  passing 
of  the  edict  of  the  Inquisition  of  Spain  came  before 
Chancellor  de  T Hospital,  as  he  knew  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  privy  council  and  the  parliaments  had 
consented  to  it,  he  drew  up  another  edict,  in  which 
he  tempered  matters  so  happily,  and  gave  such^ex- 
cellent  reasons  for  this,  that  even  the  Guises,  though 
strong  advocates  for  the  tribunal  in  question,  ap- 
proved his  opinion  and  even  brought  over  the  Spa- 
nish ministry  to  the  same  way  of  thinking,  notwith- 
standing they  were  desirous  that  France  should  be 
modelled  and  governed  as  Spain  was."  This  was 
done  in  May,  1560,  in  the  town  of  Romorantin.* 

•"  La  Pln.riche.  Histoire  de  Fraccois  II.  p.  36 


68  INQUISITION 


INQUISITION  OF  ROME. 

The  Inquisition  of  Rome  is  composed  of  twelvti 
cardinals,  and  some  other  officers.  The  pope  pre-* 
sides  personally  in  this  assembly.  The  Inquisition 
is  the  chief  tribunal  of  Rome.  (The  congregation 
of  the  Inquisition  was  first  established  in  1545.) 
The  above  cardinals  assume  to  themselves  the  title 
of  Inquisitors  general  throughout  the  christian 
world  ;  but  they  have  no  jurisdiction  in  France,  and 
some  other  Romish  countries.  They  are  empow- 
ered to  deprive  or  remove  all  inferior  Inquisitors, 
at  least  those  of  Italy. 

Popes  Innocent,  Alexander,  Urban,  Clement, 
and  the  seven  pontiffs  their  successors,  exerted  their 
utmost  endeavours,  but  to  no  purpose,  to  prevail 
with  the  Venetians  to  follow  the  example  of  the 
other  states  of  Italy  in  this  particular. 

The  conduct  of  the  Inquisitors,  were  circumstan- 
ces which  strongly  induced  the  republic  of  Venice 
to  refuse  admission  to  that  tribunal  in  its  territo- 
ries. The  only  topic  of  discourse,  in  all  places, 
was  the  disorders  and  seditions  caused  by  the  ser- 
mons, as  well  as  the  imprudent  behaviour  of  the 
Inquisitors  :  for  these  zealots  would,  upon  any  ca- 
price, publish  crusades  against  the  heretics ;  when 
the  crusaders  in  question,  who  had  been  drawn  to- 
gether on  a  sudden,  instead  of  assisting  the  cause  of 


OF  ROME.  09 

religion,  only  revenged  themselves  of  their  ene- 
mies ;  and  seized  the  possessions  of  a  numberless 
multitude  of  innocent  persons,  upon  the  false  pre- 
tence of  their  being  heretics.  Milan  and  Parma 
were  very  near  ruined  by  the  sedition  raised  in 
them  on  these  occasions ;  and  nothing  was  heard, 
all  over  Italy,  but  bitter  complaints  against  the  In- 
quisition and  the  Inquisitors.  The  senate  of  Ve- 
nice, who  understood  their  interest  as  well  as  any 
body  of  men  in  the  world,  took  advantage  of  the  dis- 
orders above-mentioned,  to  justify  their  constant 
refusal  of  this  tribunal. 

However,  pope  Nicholas  IV.  not  being  dishear- 
tened at  all  the  fruitless  attempts  made  by  his  pred- 
ecessors, renewed  them ;  when  the  senate  percei- 
ving that  if  they  persisted  in  their  refusal,  they 
would  at  last  be  forced  to  admit  an  Inquisition  de- 
pendant on  that  of  Rome  ;  they  established  one  by 
their  own  authority,  composed  both  of  ecclesiasti- 
cal and  lay  judges.  This  Inquisition  has  its  own 
laws,  which  ditier  from  those  of  the  tribunals  of 
this  kind  settled  in  Italy,  and  is  far  less  rigorous. 
The  utmost  precautions  were  taken  by  those  who 
established  this  Inquisition,  to  prevent  such  disor- 
ders as  had  broke  out  in  all  oiher  places  where  it 
had  been  admitted. 

The  senate  having  thus  taken  the  resolution  to 
admit  the  Inquisition,  an  act  or  instrument  for  that 
purpose,  was  drawn  up  tae  4th  of  Auj^u«t,  1289,  in. 


70  INQUISITION 

the  most  authentic  manner,  and  sent  to  the  pope. 
Though  the  pope  was  not  pleased  with  the  modifi- 
cations introduced  by  the  senate,  he  nevertheless 
expressed,  in  outward  show,  his  approbation  of  the 
instrument  presented  to  him ;  and  ratified  it  by  a 
bull  dated  the  28th  of  August  above-menfoned  ;  in 
hopes  that  the  Venetians  might  afterwards  be  pre- 
vailed upon  to  comply  with  the  desires  of  the  court 
of  Rome,  which,  however,  they  have  not  yet  done. 
On  the  contrary,  this  sage  republic,  so  far  from  re- 
peahngthe  old  laws,  estabhshes  new  ones,  whene- 
ver it  is  apprehensive  that  the  court  of  Rome  in- 
tends to  lessen  its  authority,  by  enlarging  that  of 
the  Inquisition.  How  glorious  it  is  for  this  repubhc. 
to  see,  in  its  territories,  the  tribunal  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion, subject  to  the  ordinances  and  laws  which  the 
senate  formerly  prescribed,  and  still  prescribe  to  it ; 
at  a  time  that  this  tribunal  governs  and  commands, 
in  the  most  despotic  manner,  in  all  the  other  states, 
where  it  was  received  without  restriction ;  and  is 
now  become  the  most  formidable,  the  most  dread- 
ful, and  most  cruel  tribunal  in  the  universe ;  inso- 
much, that  even  kings  themselves  are  not  secure 
from  its  prosecutions,  at  least  from  its  resentment ! 
With  regard  to  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  the  Inqui- 
sition has  never  been  received  there.  This  was 
owing,  at  first,  to  the  almost  perpetual  dissensions 
which  reigned  between  the  Neapolitan  kings,  and 
the  Roman  pontitis.  From  Ihe  time  that  the  Spanish 


OF  HOME.  71 

iiionarchs  ha%'e  possessed  that  kingdom,  how  great 
a  harmony  soever  might  subsist  between  them  and 
the  court  of  Rome,  yet  things  have  always  contin- 
ued on  the  same  footing,  and  this  from  a  ?i.  gular 
circumstance,  viz.  that  the  popes  themselves  oppo- 
sed it ;  and  for  this  reason,  that  the  kings  of  Spain 
insisted  perpetually,  that  the  Neapolitan  Inquisi- 
tors ought  to  be  dependant  on  the  Inquisitor  Gene- 
ral of  Spain,  and  not  on  the  general  Inquisition  of 
Rome,  as  the  popes  asserted.  This  the  latter 
would  never  consent  to  ;  and  from  this  argument, 
that  as  the  kingdom  of  Naples  held,  of  the  see  of 
Rome,  and  not  of  Spain ;  the  Inquisition  should 
consequently  hold  likewise  of  the  pope.  But  as 
these  two  courts  were  never  able  to  agree  about 
this  matter,  the  Neapolitan  bishops  have  always 
enjoyed  the  privilege  of  judging  heretics.  How- 
ever, the  pope  may,  in  certain  cases,  depute  com- 
missaries to  Naples,  to  judge  of  heretical  matters  ; 
but  this  happened  seldom  or  never.  In  1544,  Don 
Pedro,  of  Toledo,  viceroy  of  Naples  under  the  em- 
peror Charles  V.  endeavoured  to  settle  the  Inqui- 
sition in  that  kingdom  ;  but  the  people  mutinying, 
his  design  was  defeated. 


72  INQUISITION 


THE  INQUISITION  ESTABLISHED  IN  SPAIN. 

Though  the  Inquisition  had  been  strongly  op- 
posed in  France  aud  Germany,  it  yet  gained  foot- 
ing in  Spain ;  the  kings  of  Arragon  admitting  it  in- 
to the  several  states  dependent  on  their  crown. 
Endeavours  were  used,  but  to  no  purpose,  to  force 
it  into  the  western  parts  of  Europe  ;  the  people  op- 
posing it  with  the  utmost  vigour,  whereby  it  lost  a 
considerable  part  of  its  power  in  the  kingdom  of 
Arragon  ;  till  Ferdinand,  king  of  that  country,  and 
Isabella  of  Castile,  uniting  under  one  monarchy,  by 
their  marriage,  almost  all  the  Spanish  dominions  ; 
restored  the  tribunal  in  question  to  its  pristine  au- 
thority in  Arragon,  and  afterwards  in  all  Spain, 
which  was  not  properly  brought  under  the  yoke  of 
the  Inquisition,  till  about  the  year  1484. 

The  court  of  Rome  was  indebted  for  this  to  John 
de  Torqumada,  a  Dominican.  This  friar,  who 
was  confessor  to  Isabella,  had  made  her  promise, 
before  she  came  to  the  throne,  that  in  case  she 
should  be  raised  to  it,  she  would  use  all  possible 
methods  to  extirpate  heretics  and  infidels.  As  she 
afterwards  was  queen,  and  brought  the  kingdom  of 
Castile,  by  way  of  dower,  to  Ferdinand ;  they  find- 
ing themselves  exceedingly  powerful,  resolved  to 
conquer  the  kingdom  of  Granada,  and  to  drive  back 
the  Moors  into  Barbary.     The  Moors  were  accor- 


OF    SPAIN.  73 

dingly  subdued ;  and  all  the  territories  possessed 
by  them  in  Spain  seized,  so  that  prodigious  multi- 
tudes of  them  were  forced  to  return  into  Africa. 
Nevertheless,  great  numbers  still  continued  in 
Spain;  a  circumstance  owing  to  their  having  pos- 
sessions or  wives  in  this  coautry,  or  their  being  set<- 
tied  in  trade  there. 

As  Ferdinand  and  Issabella  considered  that,  in 
case  they  should  banish  these  Moors  from  Spain, 
they  thereby  would  depopulate  the  countries  con- 
quered by  them  ;  their  majesties  consented  that 
they,  as  well  as  the  Jews,  should  continue  in  it,  pro- 
vided they  would  turn  christians  ;  upon  which  those 
people,  finding  that  all  resistance  would  be  vain,  em- 
braced the  christian  religion,  in  outward  appear- 
ance. 

But  now  Torquemada  assuring  the  queen  that 
this  dissimulation  would  be  of  infinite  prejudice 
both  to  the  church  and  state,  was  urgent  with  her 
to  perform  the  promise  she  had  made  him,  viz.  of 
prosecuting  the  infidels  and  heretics  as  soon  as  she 
should  be  seated  on  the  throne.  He  enforced  his 
entreaties  Avith  all  the  arguments  which  false  politics 
and  false  religion  could  suggest ;  concluding,  that 
the  best  expedient  would  be,  to  introduce  and  set- 
tle the  Inquisition  under  the  au-h  rity  of  their  ma- 
jesties. In  a  word,  the  queen,  aker  many  solicita- 
tions, promised  to  use  her  utmosi  endeavours  to 
get  the  king's  consent ;  which  she  afterwards  ob- 
7 


74  ixquisiTiOiV 

taining,  their  majesties  demanded  and  procured, 
from  pope  Sixtus  IV.  anno  1478,  bulls*  for  the  pur- 
poses above-mentioned. 

Torquemada  had  been  of  such  important  service 
to  the  see  of  Rome,  that  it  was  natural  he  should  be 
rewarded  by  it ;  the  pope  raising  him  to  the  purple. 
He  afterwards  was  appointed  by  Ferdinand  and  Is- 
sabella.  Inquisitor  General  of  the  whole  monarchy 
of  Spain ;  and  he  discharged  the  functions  of  his 
employment,  so  much  to  their  expectation,  that  he 
prosecuted,  in  14  years,  above  100,000  persons, 
6000  of  whom  were  sentenced  to  the  flames. 

Matters  were  afterwards  carried  to  such  a  height, 
by  the  barbarous  zeal  of  princes,  that  Phihp  II.  king 
of  Spain,  established  the  Inquisition  even  on  board 
of  ships  of  war.  This  bigoted  monarch,  would, 
doubtless,  have  introduced  it  into  the  skies,  had  it 
been  in  his  power.  In  1571,  he  fitted  out  a  fleet 
called  the  Invincible,  commanded  by  Don  John  of 
Austria  ;  and  as  it  had  been  found  necessary  to  em- 
ploy sailors  of  all  nations,  Philip  fearing  that  a  mix- 
ture of  religions  would  corrupt  the  Romish  faith, 
consulted  pope  Pius  V.  on  this  occasion  ;  when  the 
pontiff  sent  one  of  the  Inquisitors  of  Spain,  who  had 

*Bulls  are  properly  letters,  M'ith  a  leaden  seal,  issued  out  of 
the  chancery  of  Rome  ;  and  answer  to  the  letters  patent,  edicts, 
&c.  published  by  order  of  temporal  princes.  When  these  bulls 
are  by  way  of  grant  or  favour,  the  leaden  seal  is  di^p<ndant  from 
silken  strings ;  but  if  it  relates  to  some  judicial  or  executory  act, 
(he  seal  hangs  by  a  hempeo  cord. 


OF    SPAIN.  71) 

been  appointed  by  the  Inquisitor  General  of  that 
monarchy,  as  Inquisitor  of  the  fleet ;  with  power  to 
preside  in  the  several  tribunals;  and  solemnize 
Auto  da  Fes  in  all  places  they  might  put  into. — 
The  first  Auto  da  Fe  was  held  in  the  city  of  Messi- 
na, where  various  punishments  were  inflicted  on 
many  persons. 

This  tribunal  was  introduced  into  Sicily  and  Sar- 
dinia, at  the  time  that  those  islands  were  subject 
to  the  crown  of  Spain. 


76  JNQUISITiOA 


THE  INQUISITION  ESTABLISHED  IN 
PORTUGAL. 

Tnis  tribunal  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
mto  Portugal  by  the  artifice  of  John  Peres  de  Saa- 
redra,  a  native  of  Corduba,  or  Jaen,  in  Spain.  We 
are  told,  that  he,  having  found  the  secret  to  coun- 
terfeit apostolical  letters,  amassed  by  that  means, 
about  thirty  thousand  ducats,  which  were  employed 
by  him  to  bring  the  Inquisition  into  Portugal,  in  the 
following  manner.  He  assumed  the  character  of 
Cardinal  Legate  from  the  see  of  Rome  ;  when  for- 
ming his  household,  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  do- 
mestics, he  was  received,  in  the  above-mentioned 
quality,  at  Seville,  and  very  honourably  lodged  in 
the  archiepiscopal  palace.  Advancing  aft.er  this, 
towards  the  frontiers  of  Portugal,  he  dispatched 
one  of  his  secretaries  to  the  king,  to  acquaint  him 
with  his  arrival ;  and  to  present  him  with  fictitious 
letters  from  the  emperor,  the  king  of  Spain,  the 
pope,  and  several  other  princes  both  ecclesiastical 
and  secular  ;  who  all  intreated  his  majesty  to  favour 
the  legate's  pious  designs.  The  king,  overjoyed  at 
this  legation,  sent  a  lord  of  his  court  to  compliment 
him,  and  attend  him  to  the  royal  palace,  where  he 
resided  about  three  months.  The  mock  legate  hav- 
ing succeeded  in  his  designs,  by  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Inquisition,  took  leave  of  his  majesty  ; 


OP  i»orti;gal. 


11 


and  departed,  greatly  satisfied  with  his  achievement: 
but,  unluckily  for  himself,  he  was  discovered  on  the 
confines  of  Castile,  and  known  to  have  been  former- 
ly a  domestic  of  a  Portuguese  nobleman.  He  was 
then  seized,  and  sentenced  ten  years  to  the  gallies, 
where  he  continued  a  very  long  time,  till,  at  last, 
he  was  released  from  thence,  anno  1556,  by  a  brief 
from  pope  Paul  IV.  This  pontiff,  who  used  to  call 
the  Inquisition  the  grand  spring  of  the  papacy,  want- 
ed to  see  him. 

We  are  told,  that  the  Inquisition  of  Portugal  was 
copied  from  that  of  Spain,  and  introduced  into  the 
former,  anno  1535.  But  Mr.  De  la  Neuville,  in 
his  history  of  Portugal,  tom.  I.  page  59,  declares, 
that  the  Inquisition  was  introduced  there  anno  1557, 
under  John  III.  and  settled  in  the  cities  of  Lisbon, 
Coimbra  and  Evora. 

The  Inquisition  has  subsisted  ever  since  in  Por- 
tugal, and  is  the  most  severe,  the  most  rigid,  and 
cruel  of  any  in  the  world. 

The  tribunal  in  question,  rose  afterwards,  with 
the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  names,  and  shared,  as 
it  were  in  their  acquisitions  ;  for  those  two  nations, 
making  boundless  conquests  in  both  the  Indies,  es- 
tablished the  Inquisition,  in  the  several  countries 
won  by  their  arms,  after  the  same  methods,  and 
under  the  same  regulations,  as  in  their  dominions  in 
Europe . 


78 


hvquisiTio^i 


ATTEMPTS  MADE  TO  INTRODUCE  THE 
INQUISITION  INTO  ENGLAND. 

Endeavours  were  used  to  introduce  the  Inqui- 
sition here,  under  the  reign  of  queen  Mary,  sister 
to  queen  Elizabeth.  "  The  justices  of  peace  (says 
bishop  Burnet)  were  now  every  where  so  slack  in 
the  prosecution  of  heretics,  that  it  seemed  neces- 
sary to  tind  out  other  tools.  So  the  courts  of  In- 
quisition were  thought  of.  These  were  set  up  first 
m  France  against  the  Albigenses,  and  afterwards  in 
Spain,  for  discovering  the  Moors  ;  and  were  now 
turned  upon  the  heretics.  Their  power  was  un- 
controulable  ;  they  seized  on  any  thing  they  pleas- 
ed, upon  such  informations,  or  presumptions  as  lay 
before  them. — They  managed  their  processes  in 
secret,  and  put  their  prisoners  to  such  sorts  of  tor- 
ture, as  they  thought  tit  for  extorting  confessions  or 
discoveries  from  them.  At  this  time  (in  1 557)  both 
the  pope  and  king  Philip,  though  they  differed  in 
other  things,  agreed  in  this,  that  they  were  the  only 
sure  means  for  extirpating  heresy.  So,  as  a  step 
to  the  setting  them  up,  a  commission  was  given  to 
Bonner,  and  twenty  more,  the  greatest  part  lay- 
men, to  search  all  over  England  for  all  suspected 
of  heresy,  that  did  not  hear  mass,  go  in  processions, 
or  take  holy  bread  or  holy  water  :  they  were  au- 
ihorised,  three  being  k  quorum,  to  proceed  either 


IN  ENGLAND.  /» 

by  picsentments,  or  other  politic  ways  :  they  were 
to  dchver  all  they  discovered  to  their  ordinaries  ; 
and  were  to  use  all  such  means  as  they  could  in- 
vent; which  was  left  to  their  discretions  and  con* 
sciences,  for  executing  their  commission.  Many 
other  commissions  subaltern  to  theirs,  were  issued 
out  for  several  counties  and  dioceses.  This  was 
looked  on  as  such  an  advance  towards  an  Inquisi- 
tion, that  all  concluded  it  would  follow  ere  long. 
The  burnings  were  carried  on  vigorously  in  some 
places,  and  but  coldly  in  most  parts  ;  for  the  dis- 
like of  them  grew  to  be  almost  universal."*  How 
greatly  are  we  indebted  to  our  ancestors,  who,  un- 
der the  immortal  queen  Elizabeth,  rescued  us,  at 
the  hazard  of  their  lives  and  fortunes,  from  that 
diabolical  yoke,  the  Inquisition.  And  hence,  who 
among  us,  but  must  read,  with  the  utmost  detesta- 
tion, the  following  words,  spoken  by  a  recorder  of 
London,  Sir  John  Hood,  at  the  trial  of  the  celebra- 
ted quakers.  William  Penn  and  William  Mead.i 
•'  Till  now,  I  never  understood  the  reason  of  the 
policy  and  prudence  of  the  Spaniards,  in  sutiering 
the  Inquisition  among  them.  And  certainly  it  will 
never  be  well  with  us,  till  something  like  the  Span- 
ish Inquisition  be  in  England."     No  sentiment  sure- 

*  Abridgement  of  the  history  of  the  church  of  England,  book 
III.  page  312. 

t  An  answer  to  the  seditious  and  scandalous  pamphlet,  entitle^l 
•ho  trial  of  W,  Pena  and  W.  Mead,  page  3. 


80  AtTEMPfS 

iy  could  be  more  horrid  than  this  to  the  mind  of  an 
Englishman  !  Britons,  it  is  hoped,  wiJl  never  fall  so 
low,  as  to  suffer  an  Inquisition  to  take  footing  among 
them. 

"  The  baleful  dregs 
Of  these  late  ages,  the  inglorious  drauglit 
Of  servitude  and  folly  have  not  yet, 
Blest  be  the  eternal  ruler  of  the  world, 
Defil'd  to  such  a  depth  of  sordid  shame 
The  native  honours  of  the  human  soul, 
Nor  so  cfiac'd  the  image  of  its  fire." 

We  find  that  previous  to  the  persecution  under 
queen  Mary,  there  w^ere  consultations  concerning 
the  methods  to  proceed  against  heretics.  Cardinal 
Pool  had  been  suspected  to  bear  some  favour  to 
them  formerly,  but  he  took  great  care  to  avoid  all 
occasions  of  being  any  more  blamed  for  this  :  and 
indeed  he  lived  in  that  distrust  of  all  the  English, 
that  he  opened  his  thoughts  to  very  few  :  for  his 
chief  confidents  were  two  Italians  who  came  over 
with  him,  Priuli  and  Ormanento.  Secetary  Cecil, 
who  in  matters  of  religion,  complied  with  the  pres- 
ent time,  was  observed  to  have  more  of  his  favour 
than  any  Englishman  had.  Pool  was  an  enemy  to 
all  severe  proceedings  ;  be  thought  churchmen 
should  have  the  tenderness  of  a  father,  and  the  care 
of  a  shepherd  ;  and  ought  to  reduce,  but  not  devour 
the  stray  sheep.  He  had  observed  that  cruelty 
rather  inflamed  than  cured  that  distemper.     He 


IN  ENGLAND.  8i 

thought  the  better  and  surer  way,  was  to  begin  with 
an  effectual  reformation  of  the  manners  of  the  cler- 
gy, since  it  was  the  scandal  given  by  their  ill  con- 
duct and  ignorance,  that  was  the  chief  cause  of  the 
growth  of  heresy  ;  so  he  concluded,  that  if  a  primi- 
tive discipline  should  be  revived,  the  nation  would- 
by  degrees,  lay  dow^n  their  prejudices,  and  might, 
in  time,  be  gained  by  gentle  methods.  Gardiner, 
on  the  other  hand,  being  of  an  abject  and  cruel 
temper  himself,  thought  the  strict  execution  of  the 
laws  against  the  Lollards,  was  that  to  which  they 
ought  chiefly  to  trust.  If  the  preachers  were  made 
public  examples,  he  concluded  the  people  would 
be  easily  reclaimed  ;  for  he  pretended,  that  it  was 
visible,  if  king  Henry  had  executed  the  act  of  the 
six  articles  vigorously,  all  would  have  submitted. 
He  confessed  a  reformation  of  the  clergy  was  a 
good  thing,  but  all  times  would  not  bear  it.  If  they 
should  proceed  severely  against  scandalous  church- 
men, the  heretics  would  take  advantage  from  that 
to  defame  the  church  the  more,  and  raise  a  (glam- 
our against  all  clergymen.  The  queen  was  for 
joining  both  these  councils  together ;  and  intended 
to  proceed  at  the  same  time,  both  against  scanda- 
lous churchmen  and  heretics.*  In  the  course  of 
the  prosecutions,  endeavours  were  used  by  the  dif- 
ferent parties,  to  urge  the  queen  to  continue  them- 

*Burnet,  ubi  supra,  269,  270,  271. 


82  ATTEMPTS 

knd  to  dissuade  her  from  these  barbarities.  "  At 
this  time  (says  bishop  Burnet)  a  petition  was  print- 
ed beyond  sea ;  by  which  the  reformers  addressed 
themselves  to  the  queen ;  they  set  before  her  the 
danger  of  her  being  carried  by  a  bhnd  zeal,  to  des- 
troy the  members  of  Christ,  as  St.  Paul  had  done 
before  his  conversion.  'Ihey  reminded  her  of 
Cranmer's  interposing  to  preserve  her  life  in  her 
father's  time.  They  cited  many  passages  out  of  the 
books  of  Gardiner,  Bonner  and  Tonstall,  by  which 
she  might  see  that  they  were  not  actuated  by  true 
principles  of  conscience,  but  were  turned  as  their 
fears  or  interest  led  them.  They  showed  her  how 
contrary  persecution  was  to  the  spirit  of  the  gos- 
pel ;  that  christians  tolerated  Jews ;  and  that  the 
Turks,  notwithstanding  the  barbarity  of  their  tem- 
pers, and  the  cruelty  of  their  religion,  yet  tolerated 
christians.  They  reminded  her,  that  the  fii'st  law 
for  burning  in  England  was  made  by  Henry  IV.  as 
a  reward  to  the  bishops,  who  had  helped  him  to 
depose  Richard  II.  and  so  mount  the  throne. — 
They  represented  to  her,  that  God  had  trusted  her 
with  the  sword,  which  she  ought  to  employ  for  the 
protection  of  her  people,  and  was  not  to  abandon 
them  to  the  cruelty  of  such  wolves.  The  petition 
also  turned  to  the  nobility,  and  the  rest  of  the  na- 
tion ;  and  the  danger  of  a  Spanish  yoke,  and  a  bloo- 
dy Inquisition  were  set  before  them. — Upon  this 
the  popish  authors  writ  several  books  in  justifica- 


IN  ENGLAND.  S'.j 

tion  ot  these  proceedings.  They  observed,  that  the 
Jews  were  commanded  to  put  blasphemers  to 
death  ;  and  said  the  heretics  blasphemed  the  body 
of  Christ,  and  called  it  only  a  piece  of  bread.  It 
became  christians  to  be  more  zealous  for  the  true 
religion,  than  heathens  were  forate  false.  St.  Pe- 
ter, by  a  divine  power,  struck  Annanias  and  Sap- 
phira  dead.  Christ  in  the  parable,  said,  Compel 
them  to  enter  in.  St.  Paul  said,  /  -Mould  they  -were 
cut  off  that  trouble  you.  St.  Austin  was  once  against 
all  such  severities,  but  changed  his  mind,  when  he 
saw,thegood  effect  which  some  banishments  and  fines 
had  on  the  Donatists.  That  on  which  they  insisted 
most,  was,  the  burning  of  the  Anabaptists  in  king 
Edward's  time.  So  they  were  now  fortified  in  their 
cruel  intentions ;  and  resolved  to  spare  none,  of 
what  age,  sex  or  condition  soever  they  might  be."* 
The  reader  of  good  sense,  of  what  religion  soever, 
will  see  at  once  the  weakness  of  the  arguments  on 
the  popish  side,  compared  with  those  of  the  pro- 
testants  ;  and  yet  the  former,  (so  horrid  was  this 
ministry)  prevailed. 

The  Inquisition  has  not  enlarged  its  jurisdiction 
since  the  attempts  made  to  force  it  into  the  Nether- 
lands. Such  countries  as  had  admittedt  his  tribunal 
before,  are  still  subject  to  it ;  and  those  which  had 
refused  it,  have  been  so  happy  as  to  keep  it  out ;  so 

*  Idem,  p.  276,  277. 


84  ATTEMPTS,    &C. 

that  it  is  now  confined  principally  to  Italy,  and  the 
dominions  subject  to  the  crowns  of  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal ;  yet  its  power  extends  over  a  larger  extent  of 
ground  than  all  SKMrope  ;  and,  in  the  several  places 
where  it  is  establjifced,  the  sad  marks  thereof  are 
but  too  apparei 


ab^c 


"  Come,  by  whatever  sacred  name  disguis'd, 

Opprkssion,  come  I  and  in  Ihy  works  rejoice  ! 

See  nature's  richest  plains  to  putrid  fens 

Turn'd  by  thy  rage.     From  their  uncheerful  bound? 

Sec  raz'd  th'  enliv'ning  village,  farm,  and  seat. 

First  rural  toil,  by  thy  rapacious  hand 

RobbM  of  his  poor  reward,  resign'd  the  plow  ; 

And  now  he  dares  not  turn  the  noxious  glebe. 

'Tis  thine  entire.     The  lonely  swain  himself, 

Who  roves  at  large  along  the  grassy  downs 

His  flocks  to  pasture,  thine  abhorrent  flies. 

Far  as  the  sickning  eye  can  sweep  around 

'Tis  all  one  desart,  desolate  and  grey, 

Craz'fl  by  the  sullen  buffalo  alone  ; 

And  where  the  rank  unventilated  growth 

Of  rotting  ages  tuints  the  passing  gale, 

J3encath  the  baleful  blast  the  city  pines. 

Or  sinks  enfeebled,  or  infected  burns. 

Beneath  it  mourns  the  solitary  road, 

RoU'd  in  rude  mazes  o'er  the  abandoned  waste, 

While  ancient  ways,  ingulph'd  are  seen  no  more. 

Such  thy  dire  plaints,  thou  self  destroyer  !  Fo^, 

To  human  kind. 


SUCCIiNCT  AC^UNl 


INQUISITION 


There  are  in  the  dominions  of  the  king  ot  Por- 
tugal, four  Inquisitions,  viz.  at  Lisbon,  Coimbra, 
Evora  and  Goa,  in  the  East  Indies.  The  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  last  mentioned  extends  over  all  the  coun- 
tries possessed  by  his  Portuguese  majesty  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Besides  these  four  Inquisitions,  there  is  a  su- 
preme council  held  in  Lisbon,  to  which  all  the  oth- 
er Portuguese  Inquisitions  are  subordinate,  'i  his 
tribunal  consists  of  an  Inquisitor  General,  who  is 
appointed  by  the  king,  and  confirmed  by  the  pope. 
He  is  empowered  to  nominate  the  Inquisitors  in  all 
the  countries  dependant  on  the  crown  of  Portugal. 
— Under  him  are  five  counsellors,  a  fiscal  proctor,  a 
secretary  of  the  king's  bed  chamber,  two  secreta- 
I'ies  of  the  council,  an  alcayde  or  gaoler,  a  receiver, 
two  reporters,  two  qualificators,  and  a  great  number 
of  subaltern  officers. 


So  ACCOUNT  OF 

This  supreme  council  has  an  unhmited  authority 
over  all  the  Inquisitors  of  Portugal ;  they  not  being 
permitted  to  solei^ize  an  Auto  da  Fe  without  its 
permission.  Thiflg  the  only  tribunal  of  the  Inqui- 
sition from  which  ;06Te  is  no  appeal.  It  may  enact 
new  laws  at  pleasure.  It  determines  all  suits  or 
contests  arising  between  Inquisitors.  It  punishes 
the  ministers  and  officers  of  the  Inquisition.  All 
appeals  are  made  to  it.  In  fine,  the  authority  of 
this  tribunal  is  so  great,  that  there  is  scarce  any  one 
but  trembles  at  its  bare  name  ;  and  even  the  king 
himself  does  not  dare  to  oppose  it. 

We  observed  that  besides  the  supreme  council, 
there  are  four  other  tribunals  of  the  Inquisition. — 
Each  of  them  is  composed  of  three  Inquisitors  or 
judges,  a  fiscal  proctor,  two  secretaries,  a  judge,  a 
receiver,  and  a  secretary  of  confiscated  possessions- 
assessors,  counsellors,  an  executor,  physicians  and 
surgeons,  a  gaoler,  a  messenger,  door-keepers,  fa- 
miliars, and  visitors. 

There  are,  in  the  Romish  church,  two  sorts  of 
judges  in  matters  of  faith.  The  first  are  so  by  vir- 
tue of  the  employment  with  which  they  are  invest- 
ed ;  such  as  the  pope  and  the  bishops,  who,  imme- 
diately after  their  consecration,  are  supposed  to  re- 
ceiv^e  from  heaven,  a  right  and  an  absolute  jurisdic- 
tion over  heretics. 

The  second  sort  of  judges,  are  those  delegated 
by  the  pope,  who  sets  himself  up  as  supreme  judge 


THE    INQUISITION.  d< 

m  matters  of  faith  ;  and  gives  the  judge  ni  question 
an  entire  jurisdiction  over  all  heretics  and  apostates. 
These  are  called  apostolical  Inquisitors. 

This  employment  is  of  sucl^Mipence,  that  those 
who  are  raised  to  it  have  the^^e  title  with  those 
of  bishops  :  and  Clement  IV.  to  do  them  the  great- 
er honour,  and  enlarge  their  jupwer,  freed  them 
from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  bishops  Avhcre  they  re- 
side ;  making  them  dependant  only  on  the  General 
Inquisitor  of  the  kingdom.  They  likewise  may 
publish  edicts  against  heretics  ;  heighten  their  pun- 
ishment ;  excommunicate,  or  take  off  the  excom- 
munication from  such  as  have  incurred  it,  except 
these  are  dying. 

The  Inquisitors  may  seize  a  heretic,  though  he 
should  have  fled  for  refuge  into  a  church ;  which 
the  bishop  must  not  oppose,  on  any  pretence  what- 
soever ;  a  circumstance  that  gives  the  Inquisitors 
greater  power  than  is  enjoyed  by  the  kings  of  the 
countries  where  the  Inquisition  is  established. 

No  prelate,  or  legate  from  the  see  of  Rome,  can 
pronounce  sentence  of  excommunication,  suspen- 
sion or  interdict,  against  the  Inquisitors  and  their 
secretaries,  without  an  express  order  from  the  pope ; 
to  prevent,  as  is  pretended,  the  affairs  of  religion 
from  being  injured,  and  heretics  from  going  unpun- 
ished. 

The  Inquisitors  may  forbid  the  secular  judges  to 
prosecute  any  person,  even  in  a  prosecution  carri- 
ed on,  at  first,  by  their  order. 


88  ACCOUNT 

Any  person  who  shall  kill,  or  employ  another  to 
kill,  abuse  or  beat  an  Inquisitor,  shall  be  delivered 
over  to  the  secular  arm,  in  order  to  be  severely 
punished.  iM||. 

Pope  Urban  I^^^^ted  them  likewise  the  priv- 
ilege of  absolving^jjPBiother,  and  their  assistants, 
with  regard  to  nAy  faults  committed  by  them,  aris- 
ing from  human  frailty  ;  and  for  which  they  may 
have  incurred  the  sentnce  of  excommunication. 

They,  farther,  may  grant  an  indulgence  of  twen- 
ty or  forty  days,  (as  they  may  think  proper)  to  per- 
sons whom  they  shall  think  penitent. 

They  are  empowered  to  absolve  all  friars,  com- 
panions, and  notaries  of  the  Inquisition,  from  the 
penance  which  may  have  been  enjoined  them  du- 
ring three  years  ;  provided  such  had  endeavoured 
sincerely,  and  personally  aided  and  insisted  in  the 
prosecution  of  heretics,  and  of  all  who  favour,  de- 
fend or  conceal  them.  And  if  any  of  the  persons 
in  question  should  die  in  the  pursuit  of  so  pious  (as 
it  is  strangely  termed)  a  work,  the  Inquisitors  may- 
give  them  full  absolution,  after  such  persons  shall 
have  made  a  confession  of  all  their  sins. 

To  these  privileges  we  shall  add  such  as  relate 
more  immediately  to  the  prosecution  of  persons  im- 
peached. All  affairs  relating  to  the  pretended  ho- 
ly office,  are  managed  by  the  Inquisitors,  who  by 
virtue  of  the  denunciations,  informations,  and  ac- 
cusations,  brought  against  all  sorts  of  persons  ;  is~. 


XDF  THE  INQUISITION. 


b9 


sue  their  orders  for  citing,  seizing,  imprisoning,  and 
laying  in  irons,  those  who  Bire  accused. 

"  Run,  with  your  nose  to  earth  : 

Run,  blood  hound,  run  ;  and  scent  «utroyal  murder. 

You  second  rogue,  but  equal  to'Sh^^^, 

Plunder,  fly,  hang:  nay,  lake  yoUPAi^|iMDg u ith  you, 

For  these  ?hall  hvld  them  fast ;  (han^feiug  the  slaves) 

To  the  mid  region  in  tlie  jun. 

Plunder,  begone,  vipers,  asps  and  adder?." 

The  Inquisitors  receive  the  confessions  and  dep- 
ositions  ot  those  persons,  and  appoint  the  various 
tortures,  in  order  to  extort  from  them  whatever  the^ 
desire  should  be  confessed.  In  fine,  they  condemn 
definitively,  all  who  have  the  sad  fate  to  be  their 
prisoners,  without  any  appeal  whatsoever.  The 
Inquisitors  may,  for  their  own  ease,  appoint  persons 
to  assist  as  judges,  in  their  names,  in  case  of  sick- 
ness or  absence  ;  and  these  are  allowed  much  the 
same  prerogatives  with  those  who  established  them  : 
and  can  be  removed  by  none  but  the  Inquisitors  by 
whom  they  were  nominated.  They  likewise  may 
appoint  more  assistants  or  commissaries,  propor- 
tionably  to  the  cities  or  towns  in  the  provinces  de- 
pendant on  this  tribunal.  There  must  be  one  com- 
missary at  least,  in  every  town. 

The  second  officer  of  the  Inquisition  is  the  fiscal 
proctor.  This  man,  upon  informations  made  a- 
gainst  persons,  receives  the  depositions  of  the  wit- 
nesses 5  and  addresses  the  Inquisitors,  in  order  for 
.  8* 


9(1  ACCOUNT 

their  being  seized  and  imprisoned.  In  a  word,  ht 
is  their  accuser,  and  pleads  against  them,  after  their 
heing  taken  up.  The  secretaries  keep  an  exact 
register  of  the  prisoners  from  the  time  of  their 
Commitment  -,  of  :^|ee  principal  articles  of  the  in- 
dictment ;  witl^»j,j,names  of  the  witnesses  who 
swore  against  tMm.  In  a  word,  they  write  down 
the  proceedings  in  all  causes,  and  the  defence  made 
by  the  prisoner.  They  likewise  register  all  the  or- 
ders given  by  the  executor,  and  other  officers  of  the 
tribunal  in  question. — All  writings  must  be  carefully 
locked  up,  to  prevent  their  being  perused  by  any 
persons  except  those  acquainted  with  the  secrets  of 
the  Inquisition.  The  judge  of  the  goods  and  chat- 
tels confiscated,  is  judge  between  the  fisc  or  exche- 
quer, and  private  persons,  in  all  causes  relating  to 
the  eifects  of  prisoners. 

The  i-eceiver  is  to  take  exact  care  of  the  confis- 
cated possessions  ;  must  sell  them,  and  apply  the 
monies  pursuant  to  the  orders  given  him.  He  like- 
wise must  be  present  when  the  executor,  and  the 
other  officers,  sequester  the  possessions  of  prison- 
ers ;  which  is  not  done  without  an  express  com- 
mand from  the  Inquisitor.  The  secretary  of  the 
fiequestrations,  takes  an  exact  inventory  of  all  the 
effects  belonging  to  the  prisoners,  found  in  their 
possession  ;  or  in  the  hands  of  other  persons,  who, 
should  they  aUenate  the  least  part  of  them,  would 
•  be  exposed  to  the  utmost  rigours  of  this  tribunal 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  91 

All  the  effects  and  possessions  belonging  to  the 
prisoners,  are  lodged  with  the  receiver  of  the  se- 
questrations ;  together  with  an  exact  inventory, 
signed  by  the  executor,  who,  as  well  as  the  secre- 
tary, has  a  copy  thereof. 

The  duties  of  the  executor,  isjio  execute  the  or- 
ders of  the  Inquisitors,  and  particularly  to  take 
criminals,  and  go  in  pursuit  of  them,  if  they  are  at 
a  distance  ;  to  look  carefully  after  them,  when  in 
their  hands  ;  and  even  to  fetter  them,  k.c.  in  order 
to  convey  them,  with  greater  security,  to  the  prison 
of  the  Inquisition." 

The  familiars  are  the  bailiffs  or  catchpoles  of  the 
Inquisition.  Though  this  is  a  most  ignominious 
employment  in  all  other  criminal  courts,  it  yet  is 
looked  upon  as  so  honourable  in  the  Inquisition, 
that  every  nobleman  in  PortQgal  is  a  familiar  of 
this  tribunal.  It  is  not  surprising,  that  persons  of 
the  highest  quality  should  be  solicitous  for  this  post, 
since  the  pope  has  granted  to  these  famliars,  the 
like  plenary  indulgences  as  the  council  of  Lateran 
gave  to  such  persons  as  should  go  to  the  succour  of 
the  holy  land  against  the  infidels.  They  are  the 
satellites  of  the  Inquisitors  ;  they  attending  on 
them  and  defending  them  if  necessary,  against  the 
insults  of  heretics. — They  accompany  the  executor, 
whenever  he  goes  to  seize  criminals  ;  and  must 
obey  all  orders  given  by  the  chief  officers  of  the 
Inquisition.     Several  privil^eges  are  allowed  them. 


92  ACCOUNT 

especially  the  carrying  arms  ;  but  they  are  ordered 
to  use  these  with  discretion. 

Assessors  and  counsellors  are  persons  skilled  in 
the  canon  and  civil  law.  The  Inquisitors  consult 
them  in  all  difficult  points,  but  follow  their  opinions 
no  farther  than  th^  think  proper.  They  common- 
ly make  use  of  those  persons  to  give  the  greater 
weight  to  their  sentences,  by  the  specious  precau- 
tions they  take  ;  but  in  no  other  view  than  to  im- 
pose on  mankind. 

The  visitor  is  the  person  appointed  by  the  Inqui- 
sitor General,  to  inspect  all  the  towns,  cities  and 
provinces  where  commissaries  are  established. 
They  must  inform  him  of  the  care  which  these 
commissaries  take  in  searching  after  heretics  ;  and 
make  a  report  thereof,  in  order  that  he,  with  his 
council,  may  use  such  measu»-es  as  may  be  thought 
fitting  :  the  visitor  must  p? y  the  most  exact  obedi- 
ence to  the  instructions  of  the  Inquisitor ;  he  is 
forbid  to  lodge  at  the  houses  of  those  over  whose 
conduct  he  is  to- have  an  eye  ;  to  receive  the  least 
present  from  them,  or  any  one  sent  in  their  name. 
1  he  number  of  these  visitors  is  always  in  proportion 
to  that  of  the  towns,  and  the  extent  orf  the  provinces 
where  the  inquisition  is  established. 

The  several  officers  of  this  tribunal  must  make 
oath,  before  the  Inquisitors,  to  discharge  faithfully 
the  duties  of  their  employment ;  not  to  divulge  the 
most  minute  particular  relating  to  the  Inquisition  or 


OP  THE  INQUISITION.  93 

its  prisons,  on  any  pretence  whatsoever,  upon  pain 
of  being  turned  out,  and  punished  with  the  utmost 
severity.  The  Inquisitors  admit  of  no  excuse  on 
these  occasions  ;  secrecy  being  the  soul  as  it  were, 
and  the  mighty  support  of  this  tribunal. 

Besides  these  several  officers  ^f  the  Inquisition, 
the  popes  have  likewise  commanded,  by  their  bulls, 
magistrates  in  general,  to  give  all  the  assistance  in 
their  power,  not  only  to  the  inquisitors  5  but  like- 
wise to  their  various  subaltern  officers,  who  may 
stand  in  need  thereof,  in  the  exercise  of  their  em- 
ployments, upon  pain  of  their  being  subject  to 
ecclesiastical  punishment. 

The  Inquisitors  being,  as  was  observed,  judges 
delegated  by  the  pope,  for  inquiring  into  matters  of 
faith,  and  for  extirpating  heresy  ^  they,  upon  this 
specious  pretence,  are  impowered  to  prosecute  all 
sorts  of  friars,  of  what  rank  or  condition  soever,  ei- 
ther in  their  own  names,  by  the  supreme  council  of 
the  kingdom,  or  by  the  pope.  'Tis  so  much  the  in- 
terest of  the  Roman  pontiff  to  support  the  Inquisi- 
tors, that  he  exerts  his  whole  authority  for  this  pur- 
pose ;  some  examples  whereof  will  be  given  here- 
after. 

In  fine,  they  may  prosecute  indiscriminately,  any 
laymen  infected  with  heresy,  not  excepting  princes 
or  kings.  However,  the  Inquisitors,  to  secure 
themselves  from  any  ill  consequences  which  might 
attend  their  attacking  persons  in  such  exalted  sta- 


94  ACCOUNT,  &c. 

tions,  consult  the  pope  on  these  occasions,  and  pro- 
ceed as  he  may  direct.  This  precaution  is  not 
used  out  of  respect  to  persons  of  high  eminence 
and  crowned  heads  ;  hut,  for  fear  lest  a  severe 
treatment  should  exasperate  them,  and  cause  them 
to  oppose  the  Inquisition  in  places  where  it  is  poor, 
and  not  powerfully  established.  No  person  should 
be  exempt  from  the  prosecutions  of  this  tribunal, 
how  great  soever  his  privileges  might  otherwise  be, 
should  he  presume  to  speak  contemptuously  of  this 
tribunal ;  this  being  an  infinitely  worse  crime  than 
the  most  pernicious  heresy. 


CASES  OR  CIRCUMSTANCES  WHICH  SUB- 
JECT A  PERSON  TO  THIS  TRIBUNAL. 


The  first  is  heresy. — Under  the  name  of  heretics 
are  comprehended  all  persons  who  have  spoke, 
writ,  taught  or  practised  any  tenets  contrary  to  the 
scriptures,  to  the  articles  of  the  creed  ;  and,  especi- 
ally, to  the  traditions  of  the  church  of  Rome.  Like- 
wise such  as  have  denied  the  catholic  faith,  by  go- 
ing over  to  some  other  religion ;  or  who  though  they 
do  nor  quit  the  Romish  communion,  praise  the  cus- 
toms and  ceremonies  of  other  churches ;  practise 
some  of  them  ;  or  believe  that  persons  ma)  be  sa- 
ved in  all  religions,  provided  they  profess  them 
"with  sincerity. 

They  likewise  consider  as  heretics,  all  who  disap- 
prove any  ceremonies,  usages  or  customs  received, 
not  only  by  the  church,  but  even  by  the  Inquisition. 

All  who  think,*"  say,  or  teach  any  thing  contrary 
to  the  opinion  received  at  Rome,  with  regard  to  the 
pope's  supreme  unlimited  authority,  and  his  superi- 
ority over  general  councils  ;  as   likewise    such  as 

"''  How  can  other  persons  know  their  thonghts  f 


96  SUBJECTS 

speak,  teach  or  write  any  thing  contrary  to  the  papal 
decisions,  on  what  occasions  soever,  are  looked  up- 
on as  heretics. 

A  suspicion  of  heresy,  which  is  the  second  case, 
is  still  more  extensive  ;  for  to  incur  such  suspicion, 
it  is  enough  that  a  person  only  starts  some  proposi- 
tion which  may  offend  the  hearers  ;  or  does  not  im- 
peach those  who  advance  any  such.  That  person 
is  likewise  suspected  of  heresy,  who  contemns,  in- 
sults or  mutilates  any  images.  Likewise  all  those 
who  read  books  condemned  by  the  hiquisition,  or 
who  lend  them  to  others. 

That  person  also  incurs  a  suspicion  of  heresy, 
who  deviates  from  the  ordinary  customs  relating  to 
religion,  practised  by  the  Romanists ;  such  as  let- 
ting a  year  pass,  without  going  to  confession  and 
communion  ;  the  eating  meat  on  fish  days  ;  or  neg- 
lecting to  go  to  mass  at  the  times  enjoined  by  the 
church. 

Those  also  are  suspected  of  heresy,  who,  being 
in  holy  orders,  repeat  such  sacraments  as  should  not 
be  repeated  ;  endeavour  to  enter  into  the  marrirge 
state  :  or  marry  two  or  more  wives. 

In  fine,  such  incur  a  suspicion  of  heresy,  as  go 
but  once,  to  the  sermons  of  heretics,  or  to  any  oth- 
er of  their  public  exercises.  Likewise  those  who 
neglect  to  appear  before  the  Inquisitors,  when  sum- 
moned ;  or  procure  absolution,  the  same  year  they 
Avere    excommunicated.     Also,  the  contracting  a 


OP  THE  INQUISITION.  97 

friendship  with  heretics ;  the  lodging  such  ;  the 
making  them  presents,  or  even  visiting  them  ;  es- 
pecially the  preventing  their  being  imprisoned  in 
the  Inquisition  ;  the  furnishing  them  with  opportu- 
nities of  escaping,  though  induced  thereto  by  the 
strongest  ties  of  blood,  of  gratitude  or  pity.  This 
article  is  carried  to  such  lengths  by  the  Inquisitors, 
that  persons  are  not  only  forbid  to  save  heretics,  but 
are  obliged  to  discover  them,  though  a  father,  bro- 
ther, husband,  or  wife  ;  and  this  upon  pain  of  ex- 
communication ;  of  incurring  a  suspicion  of  here- 
sy ;  and  of  being  obnoxious  to  the  rigours  of  the 
tribunal  in  question,  as  fautors  or  abettors  of  here- 
sy. How  unnatural,  how  cruel  is  such  an  injunc- 
tion !  These  constitute  the  third  case,  subject  to 
the  judgment  of  the  Inquisition.  Under  the  name 
of  fautors,  are  comprehended  all  who  favour,  defend 
or  give  advice  or  assistance,  of  what  kind  soever,  to 
those  whom  the  Inquisitors  have  begun  to  prose- 
cute. 

Those  likewise  become  obnoxious,  who,  knowing 
persons  to  be  heretics,  or  to  have  escaped  out  of  the 
prisons  of  the  Inquisition  ;  or  who,  upon  their 
being  cited  to  appear,  refuse  to  obey  the  summons  ; 
conceal,  or  give  them  advice  or  assistance  in  order 
for  their  escaping  ;  likewise  such  as  molest,  by 
threats  or  otherwise,  the  agents  of  this  tribunal  in 
the  execution  of  their  office  ;  or  w^ho,  though  they 

9 
f 


OB  SUBJECTS 

do  not  obstruct  it  themselves,  aid  or  abet  such  as 
oppose  them. 

Under  the  name  of  fautors  of  heresy,  are  also 
included  those  who  speak,  without  permission,  to 
the  prisoners  ;  or  who  write  to  them,  either  to  give 
them  advice,  or  merely  to  comfort  them.  Such  as 
prevail  upon,  by  money  or  otherwise,  witnesses  to 
be  silent,  or  to  favour  the  prisoners  in  their  deposi- 
tions; or  who  conceal,  burn,  orget  possession  in  what 
manner  soever,  of  papers  which  may  be  of  use  in 
convicting  persons  accused. 

The  fourth  case  subject  to  the  judgment  of  the 
Inquisition,  includes  magicians,  wizards,  soothsay- 
ers, and  such  like,  of  whom  there  are  supposed  to 
be  (very  idly  sure)  more  in  Italy  than  in  any  other 
country,  the  Italian  women  being  strangely  curious 
and  credulous.  We  shall  not  specify  the  various 
accusations  brought  on  those  occasions  ;  they  con- 
sisting of  ridiculous  superstitions,  arising  from  a 
heated  imagination  and  blind  credulity,  rather  than 
from  a  depraved  will  and  a  corrupt  heart.  We 
will  only  observe,  that,  among  the  several  cases 
subject  to  the  Inquisition,  none  fill  its  prisons  with 
a  greater  number  of  women  of  all  conditions. 

Blasphemy,  (the  fifth  case)  though  very  common, 
and  one  of  the  greatest  crimes,  yet  the  Inquisitors 
do  not  take  cognizance  of  it,  except  it  contains  some 
heresy.  We  shall  forbear  giving  instances  thereof 
here,  it  being  much  better  for  mankind,  that  such 
things  should  be  buried.in  oblivion. 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  99 

Though  neither  Jews,  Mahomedans,  or  such  hke, 
are  subject  to  the  Inquisition,  in  many  things,  they 
yet  are  obnoxious  to  it,  in  all  the  cases  above-men- 
tioned ;  those  crimes  not  being  tolerated  in  Jews 
and  Mahomedans,  kc.  more  than  in  christians. 
Farther,  the  above-mentioned  become  subject  to 
the  Inquisition,  if  they  assert,  write,  or  publish  any 
particulars  contrary  to  the  Romish  communion. 
Thus,  for  instance,  should  a  Jew  or  Mahomedan 
deny  the  Trinity,  or  a  Providence,  he  would  be 
punished  as  an  heretic  ^  as  also,  was  he  to  hinder  a 
person  possessing  any  of  those  religions  from  turn- 
ing christian  ;  or  convert  a  Romanist  to  theirs,  or 
favour  such  a  design. 

Jews  are  not  allowed  to  vend,  publish,  or  even 
keep  the  Talmud,  or  any  book,  which  speaks  con- 
temptuously of  the  christian  religion,  or  is  prohibi- 
ted by  the  Inquisition. 

In  fine,  Jews  are  not  permitted  to  have  christian 
nui-ses,  or  to  do  any  thing  in  contempt  of  the  Rom- 
ish religion.  The  Inquisitors  take  cognizance  of 
all  such  cases  ;  and  punish  offenders  in  them  with 
the  utmost  severity  ;  so  that  the  dread  of  this  obli- 
ges those  unhappy  people  to  become  converts  to 
popery.  However,  such  a  conversion  does  not 
make  them  better  men.  These  are  always  distin- 
guished by  the  title  of  new  christians,  a  name  which 
is  so  much  detested,  that  the  old  christians  can  sel- 
dom be  prevailed  upon  among  the  new,  though  the 


100  SUBJECTS 

femiliei  of  the  latter  had  been  Christians  from  theif 
great  grandfathers.  The  utter  abhorrence  in  which 
these  new  converts  are  held,  makes  them  unite 
more  closely  one  with  the  other,  in  order  to  perform 
mutual  services,  which  they  could  not  expect  from 
the  old  christians  j  but  this  very  union  is  commonly 
the  source  of  their  misfortunes.  To  illustrate  this, 
I  need  but  observe  that,  if  a  new  christian,  who  is 
sincerely  such,  happens  to  contract  a  very  strict  in- 
timacy with  other  new  christians,  this  alone  would 
be  sufficieht  to  make  him  suspected  of  practising 
Jewish  ceremonies  with  them,  in  secret.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  suspicion,  such  person  is  seized  by 
order  of  the  holy  office  ;  and  accused,  by  the  de- 
position of  some  person,  of  being  a  Jew.  Being 
conscious  of  his  innocence,  he  flatters  himself  that 
nothing  will  be  easier  for  him  than  to  prove  it  pub- 
licly ;  whence  he  makes  no  difficulty  to  comply 
with  the  custom  established  by  the  Inquisitors,  viz, 
of  giving  in  immediately  a  complete  inventory  of 
all  his  effects,  kc.  upon  the  firm  persuasion  that 
they  will  be  restored  to  him,  the  instant  he  shall 
have  justified  himself.  But  he  is  mistaken,  for  pre- 
sently after  he  has  given  in  such  inventory,  the 
Inquisitors  seize  his  effects,  and  sell  them  publicly 
by  auction.  The  bare  accusation  pronounces  him 
guilty  ;  and  he  has  no  other  way  to  escape  the 
flames,  than  by  making  a  confession,  conformably 
to  the  articles  of  the  indictment.     As  his  accuser. 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  101 

the  witnesses,  and  himself,  are  not  brought  face  to 
face,  his  ihnocence  is  of  no  service.  His  riches 
prove  his  ruin,  those  being  certainly  seized  ;  and 
his  Hfe  would  inevitably  fall  a  sacrifice,  should  he 
not  acknowledge  himself  a  relapsed  Jew,  though 
he  had  always  been  a  zealous  Romanist. 

The  sixth  and  last  case  subject  to  the  judgment  of 
the  Inquisition,  is  of  those  who  resist  its  officers,  or 
any  way  oppose  its  jurisdiction.  As  one  of  the 
chief  maxims  of  this  tribunal  is  to  strike  terror,  and 
to  awe  such  as  are  subject  to  it ;  it  punishes  with 
the  utmost  severity  all  who  offend  its  agents  and  of- 
ficers. On  these  occasions,  the  slightest  fault  is 
considered  as  a  heinous  crime.  Neither  birth,  em- 
ployment, dignity  or  rank,  can  protect.  To  threat- 
en ever  so  little  the  lowest  officer  belonging  to  the 
Inquisition,  its  informers,  or  witnesses,  would  be 
punished  with  the  extremest  rigour. 

Such  are  cases  which  subject  a  person  to  the  In- 
quisition ;  and  there  are  four  ways,  by  which  such  a 
one  usually  becomes  so.  First,  by  common  fame, 
which  declares  him  to  be  guilty  of  one  or  more  of 
the  crimes  specified  above  :  secondly  by  the  dep- 
osition of  witnesses,  who  impeach  him  :  thirdly,  by 
his  being  informed  against  by  the  spies  of  the  Inqui- 
sition, who  are  dispersed  every  where  :  lastly,  by 
the  confession  of  the  prisoner,  who  accuses  himself, 
in  hopes  of  being  treated  with  greater  humanity, 
than  if  he  had  been  informed  against  by  others- 
9* 


!02  SUBJECTS 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  the  manner  of  prosec&= 
ting  a  person  impeached  ;  and  this,  sometimes,  up- 
on the  sUghtest  suspicion.  First,  he  is  summoned 
three  several  times,  to  appear  before  the  Inquisi- 
tors :  when,  if  through  fear  or  contempt,  he  should 
neglect  to  do  this,  he  would  be  excommunicated, 
and  sentenced,  provisionally,  to  pay  a  considerable 
fine  ;  after  which,  should  he  be  seized,  a  more  severe 
sentence  would  inevitably  be  passed  upon  him. 

The  safest  course  therefore,  for  a  person  im- 
peached, is  to  obey  the  first  summons.  The  longer 
he  delays  on  this  occasion,  the  more  criminal  he 
makes  himself,  in  the  eye  of  the  Inquisitors,  though 
he  should  really  be  innocent.  To  disobey  the  com- 
mand of  the  Inquisitors,  is  ever  considered  by  them 
as  a  crime.  They  always  look  upon  delays  to  be 
sure  indications  of  guilt,  as  showing  a  dread  to  ap- 
pear  before  the  judges.  When,  therefore,  a  person 
is  reduced  to  this  sad  extremity,  nothing  can  secure 
him  from  the  most  rigorous  punishment,  hut  a  vol- 
untary and  perpetual  exile  :  nothing  is  forgot  by  the 
Inquisitors  ;  time  cannot  obliterate  any  crime  ^  and 
prescription  is  a  thing  unknown  to  them. 

It  frequently  happens  that  the  Inquisitors,  either 
from  their  considering  the  crime  of  which  a  person 
stands  impeached,  as  enormous,  and  that  they  have 
sufficient  evidence  against  him  :  or  from  their  ap- 
prehending that  he  may  escape  ;  immediately  issue 
^heir  orders,  without  first  sending  a  summons,  for 


OP  THE  INqCJI«JlTION.  103 

his  being  seized,  in  any  place  whatsoever.  When 
this  is  the  case  no  asylum  or  privilege  can  stop,  a 
single  moment,  the  prosecution,  nor  abate  its  rig- 
ours. The  Inquisitors  give  an  order,  under  their 
own  hands,  to  the  executor,  who  takes  a  sufficient 
number  of  famiUars  along  with  him,  to  prevent  a 
rescue. 

Words  could  scarce  describe  the  calamity  of  a 
man  under  these  circumstances.  He,  perhaps,  is 
seized,  when  in  company  with  his  friends,  and  sur- 
rounded by  his  family ;  a  father  by  his  son's  side  ; 
a  son  by  that  of  his  father,  and  a  wife  in  company 
with  her  husband.  No  person  is  allowed  to  make 
the  least  resistance,  or  even  to  speak  a  single  word 
in  favour  of  the  prisoner ;  who  is  not  indulged  a 
moment's  respite  to  settle  his  most  important  af- 
fairs. 

Hence  the  reader  may  judge,  of  the  continual 
apprehensions  with  which  persons,  inhabiting  coun- 
tries where  the  Inquisition  is  established,  must  ne- 
cessarily be  filled  ;  since,  in  order  to  secure  them- 
selves from  it,  one  friend  is  obhged  to  sacrifice  an- 
other ;  sons  their  parents  ;  parents  their  children  ; 
husbands  their  wives,  and  wives  their  husbands,  by 
accusing  them  to  the  pretended  holy  office.  How 
horrid  a  source  have  we  here  of  perfidy  and  inhu- 
manity ! — What  kind  of  community  must  that  be, 
whence  gratitude,  love,  and  a  mutual  forbearance 
with  regard  to  human  frailties,  are  banished !  What 


104  SUBJECTS 

must  that  tribunal  be,  which  obliges  parents,  not 
only  to  erase  from  their  minds  the  remembrance  of 
their  own  children  ;  to  extinguish  all  the  sensations 
of  tenderness  and  affection,  which  nature  inspires 
for  them  ;  but  even  to  extend  their  inhumanity  so 
far  as  to  force  them  to  become  their  accusers,  and 
consequently  the  cause  of  the  cruelties  inflicted  on 
them. 

What  idea  ought  we  to  form  to  ourselves  of  a  tri- 
bunal, which  obliges  children,  not  only  to  stifle  eve- 
ry soft  impulse  of  gratitude,  love  and  respect  due 
to  those  who  gave  them  birth ;  but  even  forces 
them  upon  the  most  rigorous  penalties,  to  be  spies 
over  their  parents ;  and  discover  to  the  merciless 
Inquisitors,  the  crimes,  the  errors,  and  even  the  lit- 
tle lapses  to  which  human  frailty  so  often  urges : 
in  a  word,  a  tribunal  Avhich  will  not  permit  rela- 
tions, when  imprisoned  in  its  horrid  dungeons,  tO 
give  each  other  the  succours,  or  to  perform  the  du- 
ties which  religion  enjoins.  What  disorder  and 
confusion  must  such  a  conduct  give  rise  to,  in  a  ten- 
derly loving  family.  An  expression,  innocent  in 
itself,  and  perhaps  but  too  true,  !?hall,  from  an  in- 
discreet zeal,  or  a  panic  fear,  give  infinite  uneasi- 
ness to  a  family ;  and,  at  last,  cause  one  or  more 
6f  its  members  to  be  the  innocent,  sad  victims,  of 
the  most  barbarous  of  all  tribunals. 

What  distractions  must  necessarily  break  out,  in 
n.  family  where  the  husband  and  wife  are  at  variance, 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  105 

ind  the  children  loose  and  wicked  !  Will  such  chil- 
dren scruple  to  sacrifice  a  father  who  endeavours  to 
restrain  them  hy  his  exhortations,  by  reproaches  or 
paternal  corrections  ?  Alas,  no  !  these  will  plunder 
his  house,  to  support  themselves  in  their  extrava- 
gance and  riot ;  and  afterwards  deliver  up  their  un- 
happy parent  to  all  the  horrors  of  a  tribunal,  whose 
proceedings  are  founded  on  the  blackest  injustice. 

A  riotous  husband,  or  a  loose  wife,  have  likewise 
an  easy  opportunity,  by  means  of  the  prosecutions 
in  question,  to  rid  themselves  of  any  one  who  is  a 
check  to  their  vices,  by  delivering  up  him  or  her  to 
the  rigours  of  the  Inquisition.  Every  detestable 
expedient,  such  as  false  oaths  and  testimonies,  are 
employed  with  impunity,  to  sacrifice  an  innocent 
person.  Very  justly,  therefore,  might  an  ingenious 
French  author,  a  Romanist,  write  thus,  (speaking 
of  the  various  courts  in  Lima  :) 

"  The  most  formidable  of  all  the  tribunals  is  that 
of  the  Inquisition,  whose  bare  name  strikes  terror 
universally.  I.  Because  the  informer  is  admitted 
as  a  witness.  II.  As  the  persons  impeached  never 
know  those  who  inform  against  them.  111.  As  the 
witnesses  are  never  confronted.  Hence  innocent 
people  are  daily  seized,  whose  only  crime  is,  (hat 
certain  persons  are  bent  upon  their  destruction." 

When  a  person  is  once  imprisoned  by  the  Inquis- 
itors, his  treatment  is  still  more  cruel.  He  is  thor- 
oughly searched  to  discover  if  possible,  any  books 


106  SUBJECTS 

or  papers  which  may  serve  to  convict  him  ;  or  some 
instrument  he  may  employ  to  put  an  end  to  his  life, 
in  order  to  escape  the  torture,  kc.  Of  this  there 
are  but  too  many  sad  examples  :  and  some  prison- 
ers have  been  so  rash,  as  to  dash  their  brains  out 
against  the  wall,  upon  their  being  unprovided  with 
scissars,  a  knife,  a  rope,  and  such  like. 

After  a  prisoner  has  been  carefully  searched ; 
and  his  money,  papers,  buckles,  rings,  «^c.  have 
been  taken  from  him,  he  is  conveyed  to  a  dungeon, 
the  bare  sight  of  which  must  fill  him  with  horror. 
Torn  from  his  family  and  his  friends,  who  are  not 
allowed  access  to,  or  even  to  send  him  one  consola- 
tory letter ;  or  to  take  the  least  step  in  his  favour, 
in  order  to  prove  his  innocence  ;  he  sees  himself 
instantly  abandoned  to  his  inflexible  judges,  to  his 
melancholy,  to  his  despair ;  and  even  often  to  his 
most  inveterate  enemies,  quite  uncertain  of  his  fate. 
Innocence  on  such  an  occasion,  is  a  weak  reed, 
nothing  being  easier  than  to  ruin  an  innocent  per- 
son. 

Bemg  come  to  prison,  the  Inquisitor,  attended  by 
the  olhcers  of  this  mock  holy  tribunal,  goes  to  the 
prisoner's  abode  ;  and  there  causes  an  exact  inven- 
tory to  be  taken  of  all  his  papers,  effects,  and  o^ 
every  thing  found  in  his  house.  They  frequently 
seize  all  the  prisoner's  other  possessions  ;  at  least 
the  greater  part  of  them,  to  pay  themselves  the 
fine  to  whicb  he  may  be  sentenced ;    for  very  few 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  107 

escape  out  of  the  Inquisition  without  being  half  ru- 
ined, unless  they  happen  to  be  very  wealthy  indeed. 
The  house  of  the  hiquisition  in  Lisbon  is  a  very 
spacious  edifice.  There  are  four  courts,  each  about 
forty  feet  square,  round  which  are  galleries  (in  the 
dormitory  form)  two  stories  high.  In  these  galleries 
are  the  cells  or  prisons,  being  about  three  hundred. 
Those  on  the  ground  floor  are  allotted  for  the  vilest 
of  criminals  (as  they  are  termed  ;)  and  are  so  many 
frightful  dungeons,  all  of  free-stone,  arched  over, 
and  very  gloomy.  The  cells  on  the  first  floor  are 
filled  with  less  guilty  persons  ;  and  women  are  com- 
monly lodged  in  those  of  the  second  story.  These 
several  galleries  are  hid  from  view,  both  within  and 
without,  by  a  wall  above  fifty  feet  high  ;  and  built  a 
few  feet  distance  from  the  cells,  which  darkens  them 
exceedingly.  The  house  in  question  is  of  so  great 
an  extent,  and  contains  so  vast  a  variety  of  turnings, 
that  I  am  persuaded  a  prisoner  could  scarce  find  his 
way  out,  unless  he  was  well  acquainted  with  its 
windings  ;  so  that  this  horridly  spacious  prison  may 
be  compared  to  Daedalus'  labyrinth. 

"  Here  rooms  within  themselves  encircled  lie, 

With  various  windings  to  deceive  the  eye. 

*#***#**■****# 

Such  is  the  work,  so  intricate  the  place, 

That  scarce  the  workmen  all  its  turns  could  trace  ; 

And  Daedalus  was  puzzled  how  to  find 

The  secret  ways  of  what  himself  desiga'd. 

The  apartments  of  the  chief  Inquisitor,  which 


108  SUBJECTS 

likewise  are  very  large,  make  part  of  this  house. 
The  entrance  lo  it  is  through  a  coach  gate,  which 
leads  to  a  large  court  or  yard,  round  which  are  seve- 
ral spacious  apartments,  where  the  kmg  and  his 
court  commonly  Siand,  to  view  the  procession  of 
the  prisoners  the  day  of  the  Auto  da  Fe. 

The  furniture  of  these  a»^^erabie  dungeons  is,  a 
straw  bed,  a  -Jicinket,  sheets,  and  sometimes  a  mat- 
trass.  'I  he  prisoner  has  likewise  a  frame  of  wood 
about  six  feet  long,  and  three  or  four  wide.  This 
he  lays  on  the  ground,  and  spreads  his  bed  upon, 
he  also  iias  an  earthen  pan  for  washing  himself ;  two 
pitchers,  one  for  clean  and  the  other  for  foul  water ; 
a  plate,  and  a  little  vessel  with  oil  to  light  his  lamp. 
He  is  not,  however,  allowed  any  books  not  even 
those  of  devotion. 

With  regard  to  provisions,  the  Inquisitors  allow 
every  prisoner  a  testoon,  (seven  pence  half-penny, 
English  money)  per  day  for  his  subsistence.  The 
gaoler,  accompanied  by  two  other  officers,  visits 
every  month,  all  the  prisoners,  to  inquire  of  them 
how  they  would  have  their  monthly  allowance  laid 
out.  The  prisoner  usually  expends  nine  testoons 
for  part  of  his  provisions  ;  that  is,  for  a  porringer 
of  broth,  and  half  a  pound  of  boiled  beef  daily  5 
eight  testoons  for  bread,  four  for  cheese,  two  for 
fruit,  four  for  braady,  and  the  rest  for  oranges,  lem- 
ons, sugar  and  washing.  The  gaoler's  secretary, 
who  accompanies  him,  takes  an  exact  account  of 


OF  THE  INQUISION.  109 

what  particulars  every  prisoner  requests  to  be  pro- 
vided with  during  the  month ;  which  orders  are 
punctually  observed,  the  person  who  is  appointed  to 
furnish  the  prisoners  on  these  occasions,  being  pun- 
ished in  case  he  infringes  them.  Such  as  have  a 
great  appetite,  or  desire  wine,  (as  foreigners)  par- 
ticularly do)  petition  for  an  audience,  in  order  to 
set  forth  their  wants ;  and  these  are  usually  sup- 
plied, provided  such  indulgence  does  not  foment  in- 
temperance, or  is  too  expensive.  I  myself  addres- 
sed the  Inquisitors  for  that  purpose,  and  my  request 
was  granted. 

It  is  only  on  such  occasions,  or  in  sickness,  that 
the  Inquisitors  show  some  little  humanity,  'i'hese 
excepted,  nothing  is  found  in  them,  but  severity  and. 
barbarity.  They  are  quite  inflexible  ;  for  when 
once  a  person  has  the  misfortune  to  be  their  prison- 
er, he  is  not  only  forbid  all  correspondence  with  his 
family  and  friends,  (as  was  observed  before)  but 
even  to  make  the  least  noise,  to  complain,  sigh,  ad- 
dress heaven  aloud,  to  sing  psalms  or  hymns.  These 
are  capital  crimes,  for  which  the  guards  or  atten- 
dants of  the  Inquisition,  who  are  ever  walking  up 
and  down  the  passages,  first  reprove  him  severely ; 
but  if  he  happens  to  make  any  noise  a  second  time, 
they  open  his  cell,  beat  him  severely  ;  and  this,  not 
only  to  punish  the  prisoner  himself,  but  likewise  to 
intimidate  others,  who,  by  reason  of  the  horrid  si- 
lence which  reigns,  and  the  proximity  of  the  cells, 
10 


110  SUBJECTS 

hear  the  blows  and  cries  of  the  wretched  victim.  J 
shall  here  give  an  instance  of  this  barbarity,  attest- 
ed by  several  persons.  A  prisoner  having  a  violent 
cough,  one  of  the  guards  came  and  ordered  him 
not  to  make  a  noise  ;  he  replied,  that  it  was  not  in 
his  power  to  forbear ;  when  his  cough  increasing, 
he  was  commanded,  a  second  time,  to  be  silent ; 
but  this  being  impossible,  they  stripped  the  poor 
creature  naked,  and  beat  him  so  unmercifully,  that 
his  cough  grew  worse  ;  and  the  blows  being  again 
repeated,  he  died  soon  after. 

By  this  silence  which  the  guards  or  keepers  force 
prisoners  to  keep,  they  not  only  deny  them  every 
little  consolation,  but  prevent  such  as  are  neighbors 
from  making  the  least  acquaintance  5  for,  the  instant 
this  should  be  found,  they  would  be  removed  to 
other  cells. 

They  never  lodge  two  prisoners  in  the  same  cell  ; 
to  prevent  (as  the  Inquisitors  pretend)  their  con- 
sulting together,  in  or  er  to  suppress  or  conceal  the 
truth,  or  to  baffle  the  interrogatories ;  but  the  chief 
motive  for  keeping  those  unhappy  persons  apart,  is 
to  extort  from  them,  by  the  dread  solitude  of  their 
confinement,  a  confession  of  whatever  the  Inquisi- 
tors may  require  from  them. 

However,  on  some  occasions,  two  prisoners  are 
lodged  together  in  the  same  cell  ;  as  for  instance, 
when  a  husband  and  wife  are  imprisoned  for  the  like 
crime  •,  and  there  is  no  room  to  suspect,  that  one  of 


OF  THE  INqUlSITION.  1  1  1 

them  wili  prevent  the  other  from  freely  confessing 
the  several  articles  of  which  he  or  she  may  stand 
indicted.  When  a  prisoner  is  sick,  a  conipani  n  is 
given  him,  in  order  to  assist  him,  as  he  is  told- 
Likewise,  vv^hen  the  Inquisitors  have  not  been  able 
to  prevail  with  a  prisoner  to  plead  guilty,  and  that 
there  are  not  proofs  sufficient  to  convict  him  ;  they 
then  send  him  a  companion,  who  has  been  taught  his 
lesson  beforehand,  by  the  officers  of  the  Inquisition  : 
a  nd  this  companion  artfully  glides  into  the  confi- 
dence of  the  prisoner;  wins  his  friendship  ;  and  in- 
veighs strongly  against  the  Inquisitors,  accuses 
them  of  injustice,  cruelty  and  barbarity  ;  and,  insen- 
sibly, causes  the  unhappy  victim  to  join  his  re- 
proaches, against  the  Inquisitors  and  the  Inquisition. 
This  is  a  black  and  unpardonable  crime  ;  and 
should  the  prisoner  fall  inadvertently  into  this  trap, 
he  would  be  inevitably  undone  ;  for  then  his  com- 
panion immediately  desires  to  be  admitted  to  au4i- 
ence  5  appears  as  a  witness  against  him  ;  and  is  no 
longer  his  fellow  prisoner. 

A  day  or  two  after  a  prisoner  is  brought  into  his 
cell,  his  hair  is  cut  off,  and  his  head  shaved.  On 
^hese  occasions  no  distinction  is  made  in  age,  sex,  or 
birth.  He  then  is  ordered  to  tell  his  name,  his 
profession  :  and  to  make  a  discovery  of  whatever 
he  is  worth  in  the  world.  To  induce  him  to  do 
this  the  more  readily,  the  Inquisitor  promises,  that, 
if  he  be  really  innocent,  the  several  things  disclos- 


112  SUBJECTS 

ed  by  him  will  be  carefully  restored  ;  but  that> 
should  any  effects,  kc.  concealed  by  him,  be  after- 
wards found,  they  all  will  be  confiscated,  though  he 
may  cleared.  As  most  of  the  Portuguese  are  so 
weak,  as  to  be  firmly  persuaded  of^the  sanctity  and 
integrity  of  this  tribunal,  they  do  not  scruple  to  dis- 
cover even  such  things  as  they  might  most  easily 
conceal ;  from  a  firm  belief  that  every  particular 
will  be  restored  to  them,  the  moment  their  inno- 
cence shall  be, proved.  However,  these  hapless 
persons  are  imposed  upon  ;  for  those  who  have  the 
sad  misfortune  to  fall  into  the  merciless  hands  of 
the  iniquitous  judges,  are  instantly  bereaved  of  all 
fheir  possessions.  In  case  they  plead  their  inno- 
cence with  regard  to  the  crimes  of  which  they  stand 
accused,  and  yet  should  be  convicted  by  the  wit- 
nesses who  swore  against  them,  they  then  would 
be  sentenced  as  guilty,  and  their  whole  possessions 
confiscated.  If  prisoners,  in  order  to  escape  the 
tori:  ire,  and  in  hopes  of  being  sooner  set  at  liberty, 
own  the  crime  or  crimes  of  which  they  are  im- 
peached, they  then  are  pronounced  guilty  by  their 
own  confession  ;  and  the  public  jn  general  think 
their  effects,  &c.  justly  confiscated.  If  such  pris- 
oners come  forth  as  repentant  criminals,  who  had 
accused  themselves  voluntarily,  they  yet  dare  not 
plead  their  innocence  ;  since  they  thereby  would 
run  the  hazard  of  being  imprisoned  again,  and  sen- 
tenced, not  only  as  hypocritical  penitents ;  but  like- 


OP   rHE  INqUISITION. 


11^ 


wise  as  wretches  who  accuse  the  Inquisitors  of  in- 
justice ;  so  that,  what  course  soever  these  persons 
nsight  take,  they  would  certainly  lose  all  such  pos- 
sessions belonging  to  them,  as  the  Inquisitors  had 
seized. 

Sometimes  a  prisoner  passes  several  months  in 
his  cell,  without  hearing  a  single  word  of  his  being 
brought  to  trial  ;  without  his  knowing  the  crime  of 
which  he  stands  impeached,  or  a  single  witness  who 
swore  against  him.  At  last  the  gaoler  tells  him,  as 
of  his  own  accord,  that  it  will  be  proper  for  him  to 
sue  to  be  admitted  to  audience.  He  then  is  con- 
ducted, for  the  first  time,  bare-headed  to  the  judges  ; 
an  under  goaler  walking  first,  himself  next,  and  last- 
ly the  gaoler.  Being  come  to  the  doors  of  the  In- 
quisition, the  first  mentioned  knocks  thrice,  upon 
which  the  door  is  opened  by  one  of  the  attendants 
on,  or  porter  of  thelnquisition.  The  prisoner,  &zc. 
are  then  commanded  to  stay  in  this  anti-chamber, 
until  the  porter  has  knocked  three  times  at  the  door 
'  of  the  great  hall  of  the  Inquisition.  This  is  done  in 
order  to  give  the  Inquisitors  time  to  prepare  for,  and 
receive  the  prisoner  ;  that  is,  for  him  to  dismiss  all 
persons  to  whom  he  may  be  giving  audience  ;  there- 
by to  prevent  the  prisoners  from  seeing,  or  being 
seen  by  them. 

Every  thing  being  ready,  pursuant  to  the  orders 
given  for  that  purpose,  the  judge  who  presides  in  the 
great  hall,  answers  by  a  little  bell  ;  upon  which  the 
10* 


114  SUBJECTS 

porter  of  the  hall  in  question  opens  the  door.  The 
prisoner  then  enters,  guarded  by  the  two  officers  be- 
fore mentioned,  who  advancing  towards  the  table, 
give  the  prisoner  a  stool ;  after  which  they  retire, 
bending  the  knee. 

Then  the  president  bids  the  prisoner  kneel ;  or- 
dering him  at  the  same  time,  to  lay  his  right  hand 
on  a  book,  which  is  shut.  He  then  addresses  him 
as  follows  :  "  Will  you  promise  to  conceal  the  se- 
crets of  the  holy  office,  and  to  speak  the  truth?" — 
The  prisoner  answering  in  the  affirmative,  the  pres- 
ident commands  him  to  sit  down  ;  then  asks  him  a 
great  variety  of  questions  with  regard  to  crimes  cog- 
nizable by  the  Inquisition. 

The  secretary  writes  down  very  accurately,  the 
several  interrogatories  and  answers  ;  which  being 
done,  he  rings  the  little  bell,  when  the  prisoner  is 
conveyed  back  to  his  cell,  in  the  same  manner  as 
brought  from  it ;  but  not  till  he  has  been  exhorted 
to  recollect  all  the  sins  he  may  have  committed,  ev- 
er since  his  being  come  to  years  of  discretion. 

The  Inquisitors  do  not  confine  their  power  mere- 
ly to  the  living,  or  to  those  who  die  in  their  prisons. 

They  even  prosecute  such  as  died  many  years 
before  their  being  indicted ;  cause  their  bodies  to 
be  dug  up,  and  burn  their  bones  in  the  Auto  da  Fe. 
They  likewise  confiscate  their  possessions,  of  which 
they  do  not  scruple  to  dispossess  the  heirs,  not  ex- 
cepting even  their  children.     It  is  certain  that  noth- 


OF  THE  mquisiTioN.  115 

ing  can  be  easier  than  to  condemn  bones,  as  these 
are  unable  to  defend  themselves  ;  but  such  procee- 
dings will  not  be  wondered  at,  when  the  reader  is 
assured  that  such  of  the  living  as  become  victims  to 
the  Inquisitors,  are  not  better  heard  in  their  own 
justification  than  if  they  were  really  dead. 

Among  the  several  instances  of  prosecuting  dead 
bodies  in  England,  are  the  following.*  When  car- 
dinal Pool  went,  after  the  accession  of  Queen  Ma- 
ry, to  the  university  of  Cambridge,  to  restore  all 
things  to  their  former  state  ;  a  prosecution  with  re- 
gard to  taking  up  the  dead  bodies  of  Bucer  and  Fa- 
gius  was  commenced.  The  dead  persons  were  ac- 
cordingly cited  by  two  edicts,  and  various  witness- 
es brought  against  them.  No  one  undertaking 
their  defence,  they  were  condemned  for  contuma- 
cy ;  and  on  the  same  day  sentence  was  pronoun- 
ced before  the  whole  university ;  by  which  their 
bodies  were  ordered  to  be  dug  up,  and  delivered  to 
the  queen's  officers.  An  order  was  afterwards  sent 
from  her  majesty,  to  inflict  the  punishment.  In 
fine,  Feb.  6th  the  bodies  were  dug  up  ;  when  a 
large  stake  being  fixed  in  the  ground,  in  the  mark- 
et place,  the  coffins,  with  the  bodies  in  them,  were 
set  up  on  end,  being  fastened  on  both  sides,  and 
bound  to  the  post,  with  a  long  iron  chain.  The 
pile  was  then  fired,  a  great  number  of  protestant 

'-Bzovius,  An.  1566. 


116  SUBJECTS,  &C. 

books  were  thrown  into  the  flames,  and  consumed 
with  the  bodies.  Not  long  after,  Brookes,  bishop 
of  Glocester,  treated  the  corps  of  Catherine,  wife 
of  Peter  Martyr,  in  a  most  barbarous  manner.  She 
dying  a  few  years  before,  had  been  buried  in  Christ 
Church,  near  the  remains  of  St.  Fridiswide,  who 
was  greatly  venerated  in  that  college  :  lor  no  oth- 
er reason  than  this — Catherine  was  convicted  of 
imbibing  her  husband's  heresy,  was  condemned, 
and  her  dead  body  being  dug  up,  was  carried  upon 
men's  shoulders,  and  cast  upon  a  dunghill.  How- 
ever, in  queen  Elizabeth's  reign,  her  corpse,  by  or- 
der of  archbishop  Parker,  and  other  commissioners, 
was  taken  from  the  dunghill,  and  buried  in  its  for- 
mer place. 

After  judgment  has  passed'  on  all  the  prisoners,  a 
mock  religious  ceremony  is  performed  ;  when  they 
all  walk  in  dismal  procession  to  St.  Dominick's 
church,  and  there  hear  their  articles  of  impeach^ 
ment  read,  together  with  the  sentences. 


IJESREMOXT  OF  THE 

AUTO  DA  FE, 

OR  ACT  OF  FAITH. 


The  following  is  a  succinct  description  of  an  Auto 
da  Fe,  solemnized  at  Madrid. 

The  officers  of  the  Inquisition,  preceded  by 
trumpets,  kettle-dnims,  and  their  banner,  marched 
in  cavalcade  to  the  place  of  the  great  square  ; 
where  they  declared  by  proclamation,  that  on  the 
30th  of  June,  the  sentences  of  the  prisoners  con- 
demned to  the  flames,  and  to  other  punishments, 
would  be  put  into  execution.  There  had  not  been 
a  spectacle  of  this  kind,  in  Madrid,  during  forty 
years  before,  for  which  reason  it  was  expected  by 
the  inhabitants,  with  as  much  impatience  as  though 
it  had  been  the  merriest  holiday.  The  30th  of  J  une 
at  length  came,  and  numberless  multitudes  of  peo' 
pie  appeared  in  as  splendid  attire  as  for  a  royal 
wedding.  In  the  great  square  was  raised  a  high 
scaffold  :  into  this  square  from  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing, till  nine  at  night,  came  criminals  of  both  sexes  : 
all  the  Inquisitors  in  the  kingdom  having  sent  their 
prisoners  to  Madrid.  The  prosecutions  and  sen- 
tences were  read  aloud.     There  were  twenty  Jews, 


1 1  8  CEREMONTr 

men  and  women,  and  one  Renegado  Mahometan, 
who  were  all  burnt.  Fifty  Jews  and  Jewesses  hav- 
ing never  been  imprisoned  before,  and  repenting 
of  their  crimes,  were  sentenced  to  a  long  impris- 
onment, and  to  wear  a  yellow  scapulary.  Ten 
more  being  indicted  for  bigamy,  witchcraft,  and 
other  crimes  were  sentenced  to  be  whipt,  and  af- 
terwards sent  to  the  gallies  ;  those  wore  large 
paste-board  caps  with  inscriptions  on  them  ;  having 
halters  about  their  necks,  and  torches  in  their 
hands. 

The  whole  court  was  present  :  the  king,  the 
queen,  the  embassadors,  courtiers,  with  the  num- 
berless multitude.  The  Inquisitor's  chair  was  pla- 
ced in  a  sort  of  tribunal,  far  above  that  of  the  king. 
The  unhappy  victims  were  executed  so  near  to  the 
place  where  the  king  stood,  that  he  could  distinctly 
hear  their  groans  ;  the  scaffold  on  which  they  stood 
touching  his  balcony.  The  nobles  of  Spain,  acted 
here  the  same  part  as  the  sheriffs'  officers  in  Eng- 
land. Those  noblemen  led  such  criminals  as  were 
to  be  burnt  ;  and  held  them  when  they  were  fast 
bound  with  thick  cords ;  the  rest  of  the  criminals 
being  conducted  by  the  familiars,  or  common  ser- 
vants of  the  Inquisition.  Several  friars,  both  learn- 
ed and  ignorant,  argued  with  great  vehemence,  to 
convince  these  unhappy  creatures  of  the  truth  of 
the  christia'  religion,  as  practised  by  them.  Some 
of  the  Jewish  criminals  were  perfectly  well  skilled 


m 


OF  THE  AUTO  DA  FE.  119 

in  their  religion  ;  and  made  the  most  surprising  de- 
fence, and  that  without  the  least  emotion.  Among, 
them  was  a  maiden  of  exquisite  beauty,  and  but 
seventeen  years  of  age  ;  who  being  on  the  same 
side  with  the  queen,  addressed  her,  in  hopes  of  ob- 
taining her  pardon,  as  follows  :  "  Great  queen! 
will  not  your  royal  presence  be  of  some  service  to 
me  in  my  miserable  condition  ?  have  regard  to  my 
youth  ;  and  consider  that  I  profess  a  religion  which 
I  imbibed  from  my  infancy."  The  queen  turned 
away  her  eyes,  and  though  she  seemed  greatly  to 
pity  her  distress,  yet  she  did  not  dare  to  speak  a 
word  in  her  behalf. 

Now  mass  began,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  priest 
came  from  the  altar,  and  seated  himself  in  a  chair 
prepared  for  that  purpose.  The  chief  Inquisitor 
descended  from  the  amphitheatre,  dressed  in  his 
cope,  having  a  mitre  on  his  head ;  after  bowing  to 
the  altar,  he  advanced  towards  the  king's  balcony  ; 
went  up  to  it  by  the  stairs,  at  the  end  of  the  scaf- 
fold ;  attended  by  some  officers  of  the  Inquisition, 
carrying  the  cross  and  the  gospels  ;  with  a  book 
containing  the  oath  by  which  the  kings  of  Spain 
oblige  themselves  to  protect  the  catholic  faith  ;  to 
extirpate  heretics  ;  and  to  support,  with  all  their 
power,  the  prosecutions  of  the  Inquisition. 

The  king  standing  up,  bareheaded,  having,  on  one 
side,  the  constable  of  Castile,  who  held  the  royal 
sword  lifted,  swore  to  maintain  the  oath,  which  was 


129  CEREMONY 

read  by  a  counsellor  of  the  royal  council.  His  ma- 
jesty continued  his  posture  till  the  Inquisitor  return- 
ed to  his  place  ;  when  a  secretary  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion mounted  a  sort  of  pulpit,  and  read  the  like 
oath,  administering  it  to  the  counsellors  and  the 
whole  assembly.  Mass  began  about  twelve,  and 
did  not  end  till  nine  at  night,  because  of  the  sen- 
tences of  the  several  criminals  :  they  being  all  read 
aloud,  one  after  another.  The  intrepidity  with 
which  those  hapless  prisoners  suffered  death,  was 
very  astonishing.  Some  threw  themselves  into  the 
fire  ;  others  burnt  their  hands,  and  afterwards  their 
feet,  thrusting  them  into  the  flames,  and  holdnig 
them  therein  with  astonishing  resolution.  I,  says 
the  author,  did  not  go  to  see  the  executions,  it  being 
midnight,  and  a  considerable  distance  from  my  a- 
bode.  I  was  likewise  so  deeply  struck  with  the 
sight  of  them  in  the  day  time,  that  it  put  me  veiy 
much  out  of  order.  The  king  could  not  be  absent 
from  this  horrid  spectacle,  as  it  was  a  religious  one  ; 
he  being  obliged  to  give  a  sanction,  by  his  presence, 
to  all  acts  of  the  Inquisition.  This  extreme  sever- 
ity does  not  contribute  in  the  least  to  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Jews.  There  are  great  numbers  of 
them  in  Madrid,  who  are  known  to  be  such,  and 
yet  enjoy  posts  in  the  treasury,  and  live  unmolest- 
ed. Thus  far  this  author,  who  was  a  Romanist. 
If  so  many  of  these  exclaim  against  the  Inquisi- 
tion, what  moderation  can  be  expected  from  a  pro- 
testant. 


OP  THE  AUTO  DA  FE.  121 

*rhe  learned  Doctor  Geddes,  thus  describes  an 
Auto  da  Fe  in  Lisbon,  of  which  himself  was  a  spec- 
tator. The  prisoners  are  no  sooner  in  the  hands  of 
the  civil  magistrate,  than  they  are  loaded  with 
chains,  before  the  eyes  of  the  Inquisitors  ;  and  being 
carried  first  to  the  secular  gaol,  are,  within  an  hour 
or  two,  brought  from  thence  before  the  Lord  Chief 
Justice,  who,  without  knowing  any  thing  of  their 
particular  crimes,  or  of  the  evidence  that  was  given 
in  against  them,  asks  them,  one  by  one,  in  what  re- 
ligion they  intend  to  die  ?  If  they  answer  that  they 
will  die  in  the  communion  of  the  church  of  Rome, 
they  are  condemned  by  him,  to  be  carried  forth- 
with to  the  place  of  execution,  and  there  to  be  first 
strangled  and  afterwards  burnt  to  ashes  :  but  if  they 
say  they  will  die  in  the  protestant,  or  in  any  other 
faith  that  is  contrary  to  the  Romish,  they  then  are 
sentenced  by  him  to  be  carried  forthwith  to  the 
place  of  execution,  and  there  to  be  burnt  alive. 

At  the  place  of  execution,  which  at  Lisbon  is  the 
Ribera,  there  are  as  many  stakes  set  up,  as  there 
are  prisoners  to  be  burnt,  with  a  good  quantity  of 
dry  furze  about  them.  The  stakes  of  the  professed, 
as  the  Inquisitors  call  them,  may  be  about  four  yards 
high  ;  and  have  a  small  board,  whereon  the  prison- 
er is  to  be  seated,  within  half  a  yard  of  the  top. 
The  negative  and  relapsed  being  first  strangled  and 
burnt ;  the  professed  go  up  a  ladder,  betwixt  the 
two  Jesuites,  who  attended  them  all  day  ;  and, 
11 


122  CEREMOINY 

when  they  are  come  even  with  the  forementioned 
board,  they  turn  about  to  the  people,  and  the  Je- 
suits spend  near  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  exhorting 
the  professed  to  be  reconciled  to  the  church  of 
Rome  ;  which,  if  they  refuse  to  be,  the  Jesuits  come 
down,  and  the  executioner  ascends  ;  and  having 
turned  the  professed  off  the  ladder  upon  the  seat, 
and  chained  their  bodies  close  to  the  stake,  he 
leaves  them ;  and  the  Jesuits  go  up  to  them  a  se- 
cond time,  to  renew  their  exhortation  to  them  ;  and 
at  parting  tell  them  that  they  leave  them  to  the 
devil,  who  is  standing  at  their  elbow  to  receive  their 
souls,  and  carry  them  with  him  into  the  flames  of 
hell-fire,  so  soon  as  they  are  out  of  their  bodies. 
Upon  this  a  great  shout  is  raised  ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  Jesuits  are  off  the  ladder,  the  cry  is,  let  the  dogs 
beards  be  made  ;  which  is  done  by  thrusting  flam- 
ing furzes  fastened  to  a  long  pole  against  their  faces. 
And  this  inhumanity  is  commonly  continued  until 
their  faces  are  burnt  to  a  coal  ;  and  is  always  ac- 
companied with  such  loud  acclamations  of  joy,  as 
are  not  to  be  heard  upon  any  other  occasion  ;  a 
bull  feast  or  a  farce  being  dull  entertainments,  to 
the  using  a  professed  heretic  thus  inhumanly. 

The  professed  beards  being  thus  made,  or  trim- 
med, as  they  call  it  in  jollity  ;  fire  is  set  to  the  furze, 
which  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  stake,  and  above 
which  the  professed  are  chained  so  high,  that  the 
top  of  the  flame  seldom  reaches  higher   than  the 


OF  THE  AUTO  DA  FE.  123 

seat  they  sit  on  ;  and  if  there  happens  to  be  a  wind, 
to  which  that  place  is  much  exposed,  it  seldom 
reaches  so  liigh  as  their  knees.  So  that  if  there  is 
a  calm,  the  professed  are  commonly  dead  in  about 
half  an  hour  after  the  furze  is  set  on  fire  ;  but  if 
the  weather  is  windy,  they  are  not,  after  that,  dead 
in  an  honr  and  a  half,  or  tv\  o  hours ;  and  so  are 
really  roasted,  and  not  burnt  to  death.  But  though 
out  of  hell,  there  cannot  possibly  be  a  more  lamen- 
table spectacle  than  this,  being  joined  with  the  suf- 
ferers (so  long  as  they  are  able  to  speak)  cries,  Mis- 
erecordia  por  amor  de  Dios,  "  Mercy  for  the  love 
of  God ;"  yet  it  is  beheld  by  people  of  both  sexes, 
and  all  ages,  with  such  transports  of  joy  and  satis- 
faction, as  are  not  on  any  other  occasion  to  be  met 
with.  Doctor  Geddes,  further  observes,  "  That 
this  inhuman  joy  is  not  the  effect  of  natural  cruelty, 
but  arises  from  the  spirit  of  their  religion  ;  a  proof 
of  which  is,  that  all  public  malefactors,  except  her- 
etics, are  no  where  more  tenderly  lamented  than 
by  the  Portuguese  ;  and  even  when  there  is  nothing 
in  the  manner  of  their  deaths  that  appear  inhuman 
or  cruel. '^ 


THE  SOLEMNIZATION   OF   THE 

AUTO  DA  FE, 

IN  WHICH  JOHN  COUSTOS  HAD  THE  ILL 
FATE  TO  WALK. 

A  fortnight  before  the  solemnization  of  this  Auto 
da  Fe,  notice  was  given  in  all  the  churches,  that  it 
would  be  celebrated  on  Sunday  the  21st  June.  At 
the  same  time,  all  who  intended  to  be  spectators 
thereof,  were  exhorted  not  to  ridicule  the  prisoners, 
but  rather  pray  to  God  for  their  conversion.  On 
Saturday,  the  20th  of  the  month  above-mentioned, 
we  were  all  ordered  to  get  ready  by  next  morning  ; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  a  baiid  was  given  to  each  of 
us,  and  old  black  clothes  to  such  as  had  none. 

Those  accu"feed  of  Judaism,  and  who,  through 
fear  of  the  torture,  confessed  their  being  such, 
were  distinguished  by  large  scapularies  called  san 
benidos.  This  is  a  piece  of  yellow  stuff,  about  two 
clb  long  ;  and  ip  the  middle  of  which  a  hole  is 
made,  to  put  the  head  through  :  on  it  were  sowed 
stripes  of  red  stuff,  and  this  falls  behind  and  before, 
in  form  of  a  St.  Andrew's  cross.  Those  who  are 
condemned  for  sorcery,  magic,  lie.  wear  the  same 
kind  of  scapulary  described  above.  They  are  dis- 
tinguished only^by  wearing  a  pasteboard  cap,  about 
a  foot  and  a  half  high,  on  which   the  devils  and 


AtJTO  DA  FE.  125 

dames  are  painted  ;  and,  at  the  bottom  "the  word 
Wizard  is  writ  in  large  characters. 

I  must  observe,  that  all  such  persons  as  are  not 
sentenced  to  die,  carry  a  lighted  yellow  wax  taper 
in  their  hands.  1  was  the  only  person  to  whom  one 
was  not  u;iven,  on  account  of  my  being  an  obstinate 
protestant. 

The  relapsed  Jews,  and  such  heretical  Roman 
Catholics,  as  are  sentenced  to  die  for  not  confessing 
the  crimes  whereof  they  areaccused,  are  dressed  in 
grey  samaras,  much  shorter  than  the  san  benidos 
above-mentioned.  The  face  of  the  person  who 
Avears  it,  is  copied  (before  and  behind)  from  the  life, 
standing  on  firebrands ;  with  flames  curling  up- 
wards, and  devils  round  it,  at  the  bottom  of  the  fa- 
mara  their  names  and  surnames  are  writ. 

Blasphemers  are  dressed  as  above,  and  distin- 
guished only  by  a  gag  in  their  mouths. 

The  prisoners  being  thus  habited,  the  procession 
opened  with  the  Dominican  Friars,  preceded  by 
the  banner  of  their  order.  Afterwards  came  the 
banner  and  crucifix  of  the  Inquisition,  which  was 
followed  by  the  criminals,  each  whereof  walked 
between  two  familiars,  who  were  to  be  answerable 
for  them,  and  bring  back  to  prison,  such  as  were 
not  to  be  execute^-,' after  the  procession  was  ended. 

The  accompanying  prisoners  on  these  dismal  oc- 
casions is  thought  so  great  an  honour,  that  such  as 
attend  to  execution,  these  unhappy  victims,  and 
11  * 


126  SOLEMMlZATIOft 

even  lean  upon  them,  are  always  the  first  noble- 
men in  the  kingdom  ;  who  are  so  proud  of  acting 
in  this  character,  that  they  would  not  resign  that 
honour  for  any  other  that  should  be  offered  them  ; 
so  cruelly  blind  is  their  zeal. 

Next  came  the  Jewish  converts,  followed  by 
such  as  were  indicted  for  witchcraft  and  magic,  and 
had  confessed  their  crimes. 

The  procession  closed  with  the  unhappy  wretch- 
es who  were  sentenced  to  the  flames. 

The  march  then  began,  when  the  whole  proces- 
sion walked  round  the  court  of  the  chief  Inquisi- 
tor's palace,  in  presence  of  the  king,  the  royal  fam- 
ily, and  the  Mhole  court,  who  were  come  thither 
for  this  purpose.  The  prisoners  having  all  gone 
through  the  court,  proceeded  along  one  of  the  sides 
of  Rocio  Square  ;  and  went  down  Odreyros-street ; 
when,  returning  by  Escudeyros-street,  and  up  an- 
other side  of  Rocio-Square,  they  came,  at  last,  to 
St.  Dominick's  church,  which  was  hung,  from  top 
to  botton%  with  red  and  yellow  tapestry. 

Before  the  high  altar  was  built  an  amphitheatre, 
with  a  pretty  censidevable  number  of  steps,  on 
which  to  seat  all  the  prisoners  and  their  attendant 
familiars.  Opposite  was  iraised  another  great  al- 
tar, after  the  Romish  fashion,  on  Which  was  placed 
a  crucifix  surrounded  with  several  lighted  tapers, 
and  mass  books.  To  the  right  of  this  was  a  pulpit, 
and  to  the  left,  a  gallery,  magnificently  adorned, 


OF  THE  AUTO  DA  FE.  1  i7 

for  the  king,  the  royal  family,  the  great  men  of  the 
kingdom,  and  the  foreign  ministers,  to  sit  in.  To 
the  right  of  this  gallery,  was  a  long  one,  for  the  In- 
quisitors ;  and  between  these  two  galleries,  a  room, 
whither  the  Inquisitors  retire  to  hear  the  confes- 
sions of  those  who,  terrified  at  the  horrors  of  im- 
pending death,  may  be  prompted  to  confess  what 
they  had  before  persisted  in  denying  ;  they  some- 
times gladly  snatch  this  last  moment  allowed  them, 
to  escape  a  cruel  exit. 

Every  person  being  thus  seated  in  the  church, 
the  preacher  ascended  the  pulpit,  whence  he  made 
a  panegyric  on  the  Inquisition  ;  exhorted  such  pris- 
oners as  were  not  sentenced  to  die,  to  make  good 
use  of  the  clemency  indulged  them,  by  sincerely  re- 
nouncing that  instant,  the  heresies,  and  crimes  of 
which  Ihey  stood  convicted.  Then  directing  him- 
self to  the  prisoners  who  were  to  be  burnt,  he  ex- 
horted them  to  make  a  good  use  of  the  little  time 
left  them,  by  making  a  sincere  confession  of  their 
cnmes,  and  thereby  avoiding  a  cruel  death. 

During  the  sermon,  the  prisoners  have  some  re- 
freshments ;  the  open  air  having  a  very  strong  ef- 
fect on  most,  and  the  length  of  the  march  fatiguing 
them  greatly.  On  this  occasion  dry  fruits  are  giv- 
en them,  and  as  Ofcch  water  as  they  can  drink. 

The  preacher  being  come  from  the  pulpit,  some 
priests  belonging  to  the  Inquisition  ascend  it  suc- 
cessively, to  read  the  trial  of  each  prisoner,  who 


128  SOLEMNIZATION 

was  standing  all  the  time  holding  a  lighted  taper. 
Each  prisoner,  after  hearing  it,  returned  to  his 
place.     This  lasted  till  ten  at  night. 

The  trials  of  all  the  prisoners  not  sentenced  to- 
die,  being  read,  the  president  of  the  Inquisition, 
drest  in  his  sacerdotal  vestments,  appeared  with  a 
book  in  his  hand  ;  after  which,  five  or  six  priests  in 
surpUces,  tapped,  with  a  sort  of  wand,  the  heads 
and  shoulders  of  the  prisoners  ;  saying  certain  pray- 
ers used  in  the  Romish  church,  when  the  excom- 
munication is  taken  off. 

Then  another  priest  went  up  into  the  pulpit,  to 
read  the  trials  of  the  ill  fated  persons  sentenced  to 
the  flames  ;  after  which  these  sad  victims  were  de- 
livered up  to  the  secular  powder,  whose  ofticers 
took  them  to  the  Relacaon,*  whither  the  king  went. 
Thus  the  Inquisition,  to  conceal  their  cruelties, 
call  in  the  secular  arm,  which  condemns  the  pris- 
oners to  die  ;  or  rather  ratifies  the  sentence  past 
by  the  Inquisitors.  This  lasted  till  six  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

At  last  these  miserable  creatures,  accompanied 
by  the  famihars  and  priests,  were  conducted  under 
the  guard  of  a  detachment  of  foot,  to  Campo  da 
Laa,  or  the  Woolfield.  Here  they  were  fastened, 
with  chains,  to  posts,  and  seated-on  pitch  barrels. 
Afterwards  the  king  appeared  in  a  sorry  coach,  at 

*  A  senate  house,  or  court  of  judicature. 


OF  THE  AUTO  DA  FE.  ]  29 

which  were  ropes  instead  of  harnesses.  He  then 
ordered  the  friars  to  exhort  each  of  the  victims  to 
die  in  the  Romish  faith,  upon  pain  of  being  burnt 
aUve  ;  but  to  declare,  that  such  as  complied  with 
the  exhortation  of  the  priest,  should  be  strangled 
before  they  were  committed  to  the  flames.  His 
majesty  staid  till  all  the  prisoners  were  executed. 

In  this  Auto  da  Fe,  were  burnt  the  following  per- 
sons, convicted  of  various  heresies,  and  obstinate* 
viz. 

Father  Joseph  de  Saguira,  a  priest. 

Theresa  Carvalla,  a  widow. 

Francis  Dias  Cabaco,  a  scrivener. 

Charles  Joseph,  a  barber. 

Likewise,  Gabriel  Rodriguez  Bicudo,  a  shoema- 
ker, who,  after  publicly  abjuring  Judaism  in  a  for- 
mer Auto  da  Fe  ;  and  being  taken  up  a  second  time 
for  committing  a  like  crime,  was  convicted  and  pro- 
ved obstinate. 

Pedro  de  Rates  Henequim,  living  on  his  estate, 
condemned  for  inventing,  writing,  following  and 
defending  the  doctrines  of  heretics  ;  for  turning 
heresiarch  with  execrable  blasphemies  ;  convicted, 
false,  dissembling,  confident,  varying  and  impeni- 
tent. 

Josepha  Maria,  spinster,  daughter  of  Gabriel 
Roderiguez  Bicudo,  abjuring  in  the  same  manner 
as  her  father,  (above)  and  convicted  a  second  time  ; 
false,  dissembling,  and  impenitent. 


130  SOLEMNIZATION 

Mecia  da  Costa,  a  widow,  reconciled  in  a  former 
Auto  da  Fe,  for  the  crime  of  witchcraft,  and  living 
apart  from  the  catholic  faith  ;  making  a  contract 
with  the  devil,  whom  she  worshipped  as  God  ;  con- 
victed, denying,  obstinate  and  relapsed. 

The  instant  these  sad  victims  were  delivered  up 
to  the  secular  arm,  the  remainder  were  led  badt, 
with  much  ceremony,  about  ten  at  night,  from  St. 
Dominick's  church  to  the  Inquisition.  Having  ar- 
rived there,  we  were  carried  through  several  gal- 
leries, till  we  came  to  the  abode  allotted  us.  Here 
were  several  chambers,  the  doors  of  which  were 
open  ;  when  each  of  us  chose  that  which  he  hked 
best. — To  each  there  was  given  a  straw  bed,  a  blan- 
ket, and  sheets.  Most  of  these  things  were  far 
from  being  clean,  there  not  having  been  an  Auto 
da  Fe,  for  two  years  previous.  The  women  were 
lodged  a  story  above  us. 

Being  thus  settled  we  thought  ourselves  the  hap- 
piest persons  upon  earth,  although  we  had  little  to 
boast  of.  However,  we  now  had  an  opportunity  of 
breathing  the  fresh  air  ;  enjoying  the  light  of  the 
sky,  and  view  of  a  garden ;  in  a  word,  we  had  the 
consolation  of  reflecting  that  we  were  not  to  be  put 
to  death.  The  alcayde  or  gaoler,  and  his  brother- 
keeper  brought  each  of  us  a  loaf,  a  cake,  and  water 
sufficient  for  the  whole  company  ;  permitting  us,  at 
the  same  time^  to  divert  ourselves,  provided  we  did 
not  make  a  noise.     This  was  the  first  time  we  had 


OP  THE  AUTO  DA  FE.  131 

supped  in  the  Inquisition  with  any  satisfaction. — 
Having  been  greatly  fatigued  by  the  ceremony  de- 
scribed in  the  foregoing  pages,  I  slept  very  soundly,,, 

From  the  time  of  our  return  from  the  procession, 
we  were  supported  at  the  expense  of  the  Cardinal- 
Inquisitor,  and  not  at  that  of  the  mock  holy  office. — 
We  were  soon  sensible  of  this  change  of  masters, 
not  only  oy  the  advantages  already  described  ;  but 
ty  the  permission  allowed  us,  of  sending  to  our  re- 
lations and  friends,  for  such  provisions  as  we  might 
want,  if  we  did  not  like  those  given  us,  or  had  not 
sufficient  to  satisfy  our  appetites.  It  would  be  the 
highest  ingratitude  in  me  not  to  mention  the  very 
essential  favours  which  I,  as  well  as  the  3  brethrefi, 
my  fellow  prisoners,  received  from  the  free-masons 
at  Lisbon.  They  obtained  leave  to  visit  us,  which 
gave  us  inexpressible  joy  ;  and  their  bounty  proved 
of  the  most  signal  advantage  to  us.  We  imagined 
at  first  the  reason  of  our  confinement  in  this  part  of 
the  prison,  was  to  accustom  us,  by  insensible  de- 
grees, to  the  open  air ;  and  to  dispel  the  dreadful 
melancholy  which  had  so  long  oppressed  us.  But 
the  true  cause  was,  that  each  of  us  might  be  pre- 
pared for  conveyance  to  the  place  of  his  doom  ;  to 
put  into  our  hands  a  bill  of  the  expenses  the  Inquis- 
itors had  been  at ;  and  to  give  the  various  officers 
the  necessary  instructions  relating  to  us. 

In  the  course  of  one  week  from  our  confinement 
in  the  prison,  some  were  banished :  such  as   had 


132  THE  GALLEY. 

more  husbands  or  wives  than  one,  were  whipped 
through  the  streets  of  Lisbon  ;  and  others,  among 
whom  I  was  one,  were  sent  to  the  galley. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  GALLEY. 

The  Portuguese  galley  is  a  prison  standing  by  the 
river  side,  and  consists  of  two  very  spacious  rooms 
built  one  over  the  other.  '^I'hat  on  the  ground  floor 
is  the  apartment  of  the  slaves,  and  the  other  is  for 
the  sick  and  the  officers  of  this  prison  ;  it  being 
the  receptacle,  not  only  of  such  as  are  condemned 
by  the  Inquisitors,  but  likewise  by  the  lay  judges. 
Among  these  prisoners  are  Turks  and  Moors,  taken 
on  board  the  corsair  vessels  ;  together  with  fugitive 
slaves,  and  bad  servants,  sent  by  their  masters,  to 
this  galley,  as  a  chastisement. 

All  prisoners,  of  whatever  quality,  are  employed 
in  toils  equally  low  and  grievous.  Some  work  in 
the  dock-yards,  carrying  timber  to  the  carpenters, 
unloading  ships,  and  providing  water  and  provis- 
ions for  victualling  such  as  are  outward  bound. 
They  likewise  carry  water  to  the  prisoners  in  Lis- 
bon ;  and  for  the  king's  gardens.  In  a  word,  they 
are  obliged  to  submit  to  any  labour,  however  igno- 


THE  GALLEY. 


h3 


mlnious  or  painful,  for  the  service  of  his  Portuguese 
majesty,  or  for  the  officers  who  command  them. 
They  are  treated  with  the  greatest  severity  and  cru- 
elty, unless  they  find  means  to  bribe  their  over- 
seers to  gentleness,  by  giving  them,  at  intervals,  a 
little  money. 

In  this  galley,  all  the  slaves  are  fastened  two  and 
two,  by  one  foot  only,  with  a  chain  eight  feet  long. 
At  their  girdle  is  an  iron  hook,  by  which,  they  shor- 
ten or  lengthen  their  chain,  to  make  the  weigiit 
less  troublesome.  Their  heads  and  beards  are  sha- 
ved once  a  month.  They  wear  coarse  blue  cloaths, 
caps  and  coats  ;  and  have  a  great  coat,  made  of 
coarse  serge  of  the  same  colour,  which  serves  them 
as  a  cloak  in  the  day  time-  and  a  coverlet  at  night. 
They  lie  in  a  kind  of  board  frame,  raised  a  little 
from  the  ground,  over  w.hich  a  mat  is  spread. 

To  every  galley  slave  is  given,  each,  a  pound 
and  a  half  of  very  dry,  black  biscuit ;  with  six 
pounds  of  salt  meat  every  month,  and  a  bushel  of 
pease,  lentils  or  beans,  which  they  are  allowed  lo 
sell  if  they  choose  and  purchase  better  provisio.is. 

They  are  led  early  every  morning,  a  (ew  festi- 
vals excepted,  wherever  their  drudgery  may  be 
wanted.  They  then  toil  incessantly  until  eleven, 
when  they  leave  work,  to  eat  and  rest  themselves, 
and  at  one  they  again  renew  their  miserable  la- 
bours, and  continue  until  night,  when  they  are  con- 
12 


VM  I  HE  GALLEY. 

ducted  back  lo  the  galiey.     Such  is  the  daily  lite 
which  these  unhappy  wretches  lead. 

When  any  of  them  are  taken  sick,  they  are  remo- 
ved to  the  other  great  room,  where  proper  care  is 
taken  of  them  by  the  physicians,  surgeons,  «^c.  It 
is  incumbent  on  me  to  do  justice  to  them  in  this  par- 
ticular. The  sick  are  here  treated  with  all  imagin- 
able care  and  humanity.  Those  whose  stomachs 
are  too  weak  to  digest  strong  aliments,  have  good 
broth,  on  which  occasion  chickens  are  not  spared. 
But  it  is  far  otherwise  with  regard  to  puni  shments  : 
their  task-masters  exercising  the  most  unbounded 
cruelty  for  the  smallest  fault ;  those  unhappy  slaves, 
being  laid  on  their  bellies,  are  fastened  to  a  ladder, 
when  two  men  whip  alternately  their  bare  posteri- 
ors with  a  bull's  pizzle,  or  a  thick  pitched  rope. — 
Li  this  manner  the  sufferers  often  receive  two  or 
three  hundred  lashes,  whereby  the  skin  is  not  only 
flead,  but  pieces  of  flesh  are  torn  away  ;  so  that  the 
surgeons  are  obliged  to  make  deep  incisions,  to  pre- 
vent a  mortitication.  These  wounds  often  become 
ulcerous,  and  many  are  disabled  for  life.  In  short, 
the  barbarities  exercised  by  this  tribunal  are  so 
great  and  so  various,  that  Oldham  might  justly  put 
the  following  words  into  the  mouth  of  Ignatius 
Loyola  : 

''  Let  th'  Inquisition  rage,  fresh  cruelties 

Make  the  dire  engines  groan  with  tortur'd  crie?  ■ 


THE  GALLEY.  13.' 

LetCampo  Flori  everyday  be  strew'd 
Withtbe  warm  ashes  of  the  Lutheran  broods- 
Repeat  again  Bohemian  slaughter  o'er  ; 
And  Piedmont  vallies  drown  with  floating  gore  : 
Swifter  than  murdering  angels  when  they  fly, 
On  errands  of  avenging  destiny. 
Fiercer  than  storms  let  loose,  with  eager  haste 
Lay  cities,  countries,  realms,  whole  nature  waste 
Sack,  ravish,  bum,  destroy,  slay,  massacre, 
ri^l  the  same  grave  llieir  lives  and  names  inter/' 


INJUSTICE  AND  CRUELTY 


INQUISITION. 


The  pretended  zeal  of  the  Inquisitors  for  preser- 
ving religion  in  all  its  purity,  is  merely  a  cloak  to 
hide  their  boundless  ambition,  their  insatiable  thirst' 
of  riches,  and  their  vindictive  spirit. 

The  emperor  Frederic,  mentioned  in  the  forego- 
ing pages,  who  first  invested  the  Inquisitors  with 
c^reat  privileges,  was  the  first  who  made  the  most 
cruel  abuse  of  them.  All  Mho  opposed  his  will 
were  deemed  heretics,  and  judged  and  burnt  as 
such. — He  committed  to  the  flames  upon  the  false 
pretence  of  heresy,  so  great  a  number  of  Romanists 
that  pope  Gregory  could  not  forbear  representing 
to  him  in  the  most  serious  terms,  that  it  became  him 
to  extirpate  heretics  only,  and  not  the  true  sons  of 
the  church.  The  monarch  did  not  foresee  that  the 
court  of  Rome  might  turn  those  very  weapons  a- 
gainst  him  which  he  had  employed  so  unjustly  a- 
gainst  a  multitude  of  christians.  He  was  after- 
wards sensible  of  his  error,  but  too  late  :  in  1 239 
he  was  impeached  as  a  heretic  ;  and  being  judged, 
was  excommunicated  as  such  ;  and  his  subjects 
freed  from  the  allegiance  they  bad  sworn  to  him  : 


OF  THE  INqUISITlON. 


131 


though  his  heresy  was  no  more,  than  his  having  op- 
posed the  unhmited  power  which  the  popes  pre- 
tended to  exercise  over  all  christians,  not  excep- 
ting even  crowned  heads. 

Elezine,  lord  of  Padua,  whose  heresy  was  only 
too  great  attachment  to  the  emperor  Frederic,  was 
likewise  excommunicated,  and  Inquisitors  appoint- 
ed to  prosecute  him  for  this  pretended  crime.  x\c- 
cordingly  he  was  summoned  to  appear  in  Rome, 
whither  he  sent  persons  of  reputation  to  declare  his 
innocence.  But  they  were  not  allowed  to  he 
heard,  the  pope  insisting  that  he  should  be  heard 
in  person ;  and  upon  his  refusing  to  obey  this  or- 
der, the  Roman  pontiff  sent  the  bishop  of  Treviso 
to  inform  Elezine,  that  he  would  render  himself  ob- 
noxious to  all  punishments  inflicted  on  heretics,  in 
case  he  refused  to  appear  personally  in  Rome, 
sometime  in  August  1251  ;  and  further,  that  if  he 
did,  not  submit  to  all  the  pope's  injunctions,  he 
would  be  declared  infamous  and  a  heretic  ;  him- 
self and  his  possessions  seized,  and  a  crusade  sent 
against  him  and  his  adherents.  In  fine,  sentence 
was  passed  against  this  lord  in  12o4,  whereby  he 
was  pronounced  a  heretic,  and  all  his  possessions 
confiscated  in  favour  of  his  brother  Albert. 

About  the  same  time.  Count  de  Toulouse  fell  a 
victim  to  the  cruel  power  of  the  Roman  pontiffs  and 
their  wicked  agents.  His  dominions  were  sacked 
by  crusaders,  whom  the  pope  had  sent  out  against 

to  * 


138 


CRUELTIES 


him.  In  fine,  this  count,  though  a  zealous  Roman- 
ist, could  find  no  other  way  to  extricate  himself, 
than  by  making  a  submission,  too  mean  and  servile 
for  a  prince,  whose  only  crime  was  his  strong  at- 
tachment to  Frederic,  then  at  variance  with  the 
Court  of  Rome  ;  and  his  not  persecuting  his  own 
subjects,  who  were  accused,  by  that  court  of  her- 
esy. 

The  Spanish  Inquisitors  cited  Jane,  daughter  of 
the  emperor  Charles  V.  to  appear  before  their  tri- 
bunal ;  to  be  examined  concerning  another  person, 
with  regard  to  some  articles  of  faith,  which  the  In- 
quisitors declared  were  heretical.  The  emperor 
himself  stood  in  such  awe  of  the  Inquisition,  that 
he  commanded  his  daughter,  in  case  she  thought  the 
person  accused  ever  so  little  guilty,  not  to  delay  her 
information,  to  avoid  the  sentence  of  excommuni- 
cation, levelled  not  only  against  other  persons,  but 
against  himself.  The  princess,  in  compliance  with 
this  command,  immediately  gave  in  her  deposition 
to  Valdes,  archbishop  of  Seville,  then  Inquisitor 
General. 

The  Inquisition  of  Arragon  proceeded  to  still 
greater  lengths  ;  it  having  the  insolence  to  prose- 
cute Don  Carlos,  eldest  son  to  Don  John  II.  king 
of  Arragon. 

The  Inquisition  of  Castile  distinguished  itself  in 
a  manner  equally  daring  and  horrid  ;  this  tribunal 
sittempted  to  prosecute  the  memory  of  the  empe- 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  139 

rorCharles  V.  and  to  sentence  his  will  to  the  flames, 
as  heretical ;  together  with  all  those  persons  who 
had  the  greatest  share  in  this  monarch's  friendship. 

The  following  is  an  account  of  that  incident,  as 
related  by  Thaunus,  d'Aubinne,  and  le  Laboureur. 

This  emperor's  retreat  had  given  rise  to  various 
reports.  One  of  these  was,  that  he  had  contracted, 
by  his  almost  continual  correspondence  with  the 
protestants  of  Germany,  an  inclination  for  their  o- 
pinions  ;  and  yet  the  sole  motive  of  his  withdraw- 
ing to  a  solitude,  was,  that  he  might  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  ending  his  days  in  exercises  of  piety  con- 
formable to  his  secret  disposition.  It  was  likewise 
affirmed,  that  his  ill  treatment  of  several  of  those 
brave  protestant  princes,  whom  he  had  subdued  by 
force  of  arms,  extorted  from  him  such  an  admira- 
tion of  their  constancy  in  ill  fortune,  as  made  him 
almost  blush  for  his  conquests ;  and  raised  in  him. 
by  insensible  degrees,  an  esteem  for  their  religion. 
A  circumstance  which  added  to  the  probability  of 
these  reports,  was,  his  making  choice  of  persons 
suspected  of  heresy  to  be  the  companions  of  his 
retreat,  and  the  directors  of  his  conscience.  Dr. 
Calculla  was  his  preacher  ;  and  his  confessors  were 
the  archbishop  of  Toledo,  and  especially  Constan- 
tine  Pontius,  bishop  of  Drossin.  This  report  was 
strengthened  by  the  great  number  of  passages,  writ- 
ten with  the  emperor's  own  hand,  on  the  walls  of 
his  cell  at  St.  Justus'  where  he  died  ;  these  agree- 


]40  CRUELTIES 

ing  nearly  with  the  tenets  of  the  protestants,  onju« 
titication  and  grace. 

But  a  circumstance  which  contirmed  this  opinion 
still  more,  was,  his  will  not  being  drawn  up  after 
the  manner  of  the  Roman  Catholics ;  I  mean,  that 
no  pious  legacies  were  read  therein,  nor  any  monies 
bequeathed  for  saying  masses,  which  gave  offence  to 
the  Inquisitors.  However,  they  did  not  dare  to 
speak  openly  on  this  occasion,  till  they  should  first 
know  the  sentiments  of  Philip  II.  and  whether  he 
would  not  be  otFended  at  the  prosecution  ;  but  this 
prince,  on  his  ascending  the  throne,  signalized  him- 
self by  persecuting  all  those  who  had  shook  off  the 
papal  yoke  ;  so  that  the  Inquisitors,  in  imitation  of 
him,  first  prosecuted  the  archbishop  of  Toledo,  pri- 
mate of  Spain,  afterwards  Caculla,  and  last  of  all 
Coastantine  Pontius. 

As  the  king  permitted  them  to  be  imprisoned,  this 
was  considered  as  an  undoubted  proof  of  his  zeal 
for  the  Romish  religion  :  but  the  most  judicious 
were  struck  with  horror,  when  they  saw  the  empe- 
ror's confessor,  in  whose  arms  he  died,  delivered 
up,  by  his  own  son,  to  a  most  ignominious  and  cruel 
punishment. 

The  Inquisitors  could  not  forbear  showing,  that 
they  were  prompted  to  this  horrid  act,  by  no  other 
views  than  those  of  interest ;  since,  in  the  trials  of 
the  three  persons  above  mentioned,  they  charged 
them  with  being  concerned  in  drawmg  up  the  empe- 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  141 

Tor's  will ;  and  sentenced  both  it  and  them  to  the 
flames. 

Philip,  who  hitherto  had  beheld  with  the  utmost 
indifference,  the  conduct  of  the  Inquisitors,  now 
roused  as  from  a  lethargy  ;  and  reflecting  on  the 
opinion  the  world  would  form  of  him,  should  he 
not  stop  a  prosecution  so  injurious  to  the  memory 
of  his  royal  father,  and  which  might  hkewise  be  at- 
tended with  fatal  consequences,  he  endeavoured, 
secretly,  to  stop  the  prosecution ;  but  employed  at 
the  same  time,  gentle  expedients,  for  fear  of  offen- 
ding the  Inquisitors. 

Don  Carlos,  only  son  to  king  Phihp,  being  a 
prince  of  great  vivacity ;  and  entertaining  the  ut- 
most veneration  for  his  grandfather's  memory,  was 
highly  offended  at  this  insult  upon  it.  Not  know- 
ing all  the  extent  of  the  power  of  this  horrid  tribu- 
nal, he  inveighed  against  it ;  and,  after  blaming  his 
father's  weakness,  spoke  pubhcly  of  this  design  of 
the  Inquisitors,  as  a  shocking  and  unheard  of  at- 
tempt.— He  even  went  so  far  as  to  threaten  to  ex- 
tirpate, one  day  or  other,  the  Inquisition,  and  all 
its  agents,  for  this  abominable  outrage.  But  this 
generous  prince  paid  dear  for  these  passionate  ex- 
pressions ;  the  Inquisitors  being  determined  to  sac- 
rihce  him  to  their  vengeance,  and  hasten  his  end. 

However,  this  dispute  between  the  king  and  the 
inquisition  was  afterwards  adjusted.  CacuUa  was 
burnt  alive,  with  the  etligy  of  Constantine  Poii- 


142  CRUELTIES 

tius,  who  died  in  prison  some  days  before.  The 
archbishop  of  Toledo  appealed  to  Rome,  and  ex- 
tricated himself  by  money  and  friends.  After  this 
no  farther  mention  was  made  of  the  emperor's 
will. 

Though  this  reconciliation  might  pacify  the 
prince  of  Spain,  the  Inquisitors  were  far  from  be- 
ing appeased  ;  it  being  one  of  their  chief  maxims, 
never  to  forgive.  In  this  view  they  raised  so  great 
a  spirit  of  discontent  among  the  common  people, 
that  the  king  was  forced  to  remove  Don  Carlos 
from  court ;  together  with  Don  John  his  brother, 
and  the  Prince  of  Parma,  his  nephew,  who  had 
shared  in  Don  Carlos's  just  resentment  against  the' 
Inquisitors. 

This  cruel  tribunal  had  not  yet  satiated  its  re- 
venge. Some  years  after  it  imputed  to  this  young 
prince,  as  a  crime,  the  compassion  he  had  extended 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Neth  erlands  who  were 
treated  barbarously.  They  declared  that  as  all  the 
people  in  question  were  heretics,  the  prince  must 
necessarily  be  one,  since  he  set  up  for  their  defend- 
er. In  fine,  they  gained  so  strange  an  ascenden- 
cy over  the  king's  mind,  that  he,  inspired  by  a 
most  unnatural  spirit  of  bigotry,  and  being  afraid  of 
the  Inquisitors,  sentenced  his  son  to  die.  The  on- 
ly indulgence  the  latter  met  with  on  this  occasion, 
was  to  have  the  species  of  death  left  to  his  choice. 
The  ill-fated  prince,  Roman-like,  had  recourse  to 


OF  THE  INqUISITION.  li'S 

the  hot  bath ;  when  opening  the  veins  of  his  arms 
and  lej^s,  he  died  gradually.  1  hus  did  this  excel- 
lent young  prince  fall  a  martyr  to  the  merciless  In- 
quisitors. 

The  year  1580  furnishes  us  with  another  very  re- 
markable instance,  of  the  assuming  spirit  of  this 
pretended  holy  tribunal. 

Cardinal  Charles  Bon'omeo,  archbishop  of  Milan, 
who  afterwards  was  canonized,  on  his  visit  to  cer- 
tain places  in  his  diocess,  subordinate  to  him  as  to 
spirituals,  and  to  the  Swiss  cantons  as  to  temporals  ; 
thought  it  necessary  to  make  some  regulations  for 
the  good  of  these  churches. 

The  Swiss  took  umbrage  at  this  conduct  ;  when, 
without  addressing  the  archbishop,  they  sent  an  em- 
bassador to  the  governor  of  Milan  ,  intreating  him 
not  to  let  the  prelate  continue  his  visitation  in  the 
places  subject  to  them  ;  and  to  assure  him,  that  in 
case  of  refusal,  they  would  employ  force  ;  which 
must  break  the  harmony  it  so  highly  concerned  his 
sovereign,  the  king  of  Spain  to  preserve. 

The  ambassador  having  arrived  in  Milan,  lodged 
at  a  rich  merchant's  house  of  his  acquaintance.  The 
Inquisitor  was  no  sooner  informed  of  this,  than, 
disregarding  the  law  of  nations,  and  the  fatal  con- 
sequences with  which  so  great  an  outrage  might  be 
attended  ;  went  with  all  his  officers,  to  the  ambas- 
sador's abode  ;  when  causing  him  to  be  shackled  in 
his  presence,  he  hurried  him  away  to  the  prison  of 


144'  eRUELTIfcS 

the  Inquisition.  Though  all  persons  wefe  struck 
with  horror,  at  such  an  insult  offered  to  a  state  in 
th«  person  of  its  ambassador,  yet  no  one  dared  to 
make  the  least  opposition.  The  merchant  was  the 
only  person  who  interested  himself  in  his  favour ; 
he  waiting  upon  the  governor  of  Milan,  told  him 
the  cruel  usage  the  ambassador  had  met  with.  The 
governor  sent  for  the  Inquisitor,  and  obliged  him  to 
release  the  ambassador  that  instant  ;  which  being 
done,  he  paid  him  all  imaginable  honours,  and  com- 
plied with  his  several  demands.  Thus  the  Swiss 
were  informed  of  their  ambassador's  release  almost 
at  the  same  time  with  the  news  of  his  imprisonment, 
otherwise  they  would  have  seized  the  cardinal,  and 
used  him  exactly  as  the  Inquisitors  had  treated  their 
ambassador.  The  governor  afterwards  informed 
the  archbishop,  by  a  letter,  that  the  interest  of  his 
catholic  majesty  required  absolutely,  that  he  should 
discontinue  his  visitations  ;  which  being  done,  things 
were  quiet. 

The  instances  here  given,  prove  sufficiently,  that 
if  the  Inquisitors  had  kept  within  the  bounds  which 
the  popes  pretended  to  set  to  them,  in  establishing 
their  tribunal ;  (1  mean  the  rooting  up  of  heresy,) 
and  had  not  concerned  themselves  with  politics ; 
they  would  not  have  behaved  so  insolently  towards 
monarchs,  <kc.  Let  us  now  see  some  other  ex- 
amples of  their  treatment  to  persons  distinguished 
by  their  birtii  and  employments. 


OF  THK  INQUISITION.  MF} 

Mark  Antonio  de  Dominis  Avas  of  a  most  illustri- 
ous Venetian  family.  He  first  entered  among  the. 
Jesuits  ;  was  afterwards  bishop  of  Segni,  and  at 
last  archbishop  of  Spalatro  and  primate  of  Dalma- 
tia.  He  was  thought  the  best  skilled  of  any  man  of 
the  age,  in  every  branch  of  literature  ;  especially 
in  divinity  and  history,  both  sacred  and  profane. 
This  prelate  was  consulted  as  an  oracle,  on  ever\ 
subject,  and  gave  the  highest  satisfaction  to  all  que- 
rists. Imbibing  protestant  principles,  he  defend- 
ed them  with  the  utmost  vigour,  in  his  Republicu 
Ecclesiastica  ;  and  at  the  same  time  wrote  with 
greater  vehemence  against  the  pope  and  the  court 
of  Rome,  than  its  most  inveterate  enemies  had 
ever  done. 

The  passionate  desire  the  prelate  had  to  print 
fhls  work  in  his  life-time,  and  the  little  probability 
there  was  of  his  being  able  to  stay  in  Italy  after  its 
publication,  made  him  retired  to  Germany  ;  whence 
he  afterwards  went  to  England,  whither  he  was  in- 
vited by  James  I.  king  of  Great  Britain.  Mark 
Antonio  met  with  a  gracious  reception  from  this 
theological  monarch  ;  giving  him  an  honourable 
support ;  and  doing  all  that  lay  in  his  power,  to  en- 
gage him  to  renounce  the  errors  of  the  church  of 
Rome. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  pope,  whether   he  was 
willing  to  leave  a  man  of  so  exalted  a  ctiaracter,  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemies  to  the  Romish  church  9 
J3 


14G  CRUELTIES 

or  rather,  as  it  afterwards  appeared,  had  resolved 
to  be  revenged  of,  and  make  a  pubHc  example  of 
him  ;  set  every  engine  at  work  to  induce  him  to  re- 
turn to  his  native  country.  At  last,  Don  Diego 
Sarmiento  da  Cunna,  the  Spanish  ambassador  at 
the  British  court,  made  Mark  Antonio  such  splen- 
did offers,  that  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  return  to 
Italy. 

This  unhappy  prelate  then  forgot  the  maxims  he 
had  so  frequently  inculcated  in  his  works,  viz. — 
tliat  no  person  can  offend  the  court  of  Rome  with 
impunity,  and  that  it  never  pardons  an  injury  ;  for 
Mark  Antonio,  spite  of  the  strong  exhortations  of 
his  friends  in  England,  who  were  forever  represent- 
ing to  him  the  dangers  to  which  he  would  inevita- 
bly expose  himself;  set  out  for  Rome,  where  he 
was  no  sooner  arrived,  than  he  found  his  mistake  too 
late.  The  pontiff  did  not  keep  one  oi  the  promises 
made  to  Mark  Antonio,  but  obliged  him  to  abjure 
publicly  the  pretended  heresies  advanced  in  his 
books.  He  was  now  left,  seemingly,  at  liberty  ;  but 
was  ever  followed  by  spies,  who,  at  last,  falsely 
swore  that  he  carried  on  a  secret  correspondence 
with  England.  Immediately  the  Inquisitors  seized 
this  great  man  ;  but  carrying  on  his  prosecution 
with  their  usual  dilatoriness,  he  died  in  prison,  eith- 
er through  grief  for  the  wrong  steps  taken  by  him, 
or  through  fear  of  the  shameful  and  cruel  punish- 
ment which  he  was  sensible  awaited  him. 


OP  THE  INQUISITION-  147 

Alplionso  Nobre,  born  in  Villa  Viziosa,  and  de- 
scended from  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  illustri- 
ous families  of  that  city,  many  of  whom  had  filled 
those  posts,  which,  in  Portugal,  arc  bestowed  on 
none  but  noble  persons  ;    and  all  whose  ancestors 
could  not  be  reproached  with  the  least  tincture  of 
Judaism,  was  seized   and  carried  to  the  prisons  of 
the  Inquisition  of  Coimbra,  upon  the  information  of 
persons  who  swore  that  he  was  not  a  christian. 
Some  time  after,  his  only  son  and  daughter  were 
seized   and  confined  in  the  same  prison.     These 
children,  who  were  very  young,  impeached  their 
father ;  whether  excited  thereto  by  evil  counsel- 
lors, or  that  the  tortures  had  extorted  the  impeach- 
ment from  them.     At  last  the  unhappy  father  was 
sentenced  to  be  burnt  alive,  on  the  depositions  of 
his  children.     The  day  of  the  Auto   da  Fe  being 
come,  the  son  drew  near  to  his  parent,  to  crave  for- 
giveness and  his  blessing,  but  the  ill-fated  father  re- 
plied, "  I  pardon  you  both,  though  you  are  the  sole 
•cause  of  my  ignominious  and  cruel  death  ;  as  to  my 
blessing,  I  cannot  yet  give  it  you  ;  for  he  is  not  my 
son,  who  makes  a  pretended  confession  of  untruths; 
and  who,  having  been  a  Roman  Catholic,  shameful- 
ly denies  his   Saviour,  by  declaring  nimself  a  Jew. 
Go,  added  he,  unnatural  son  !  I  beseech  Heaven  to 
pardon  you  !"     Being  come,  at  last,  to  the  stake, 
he  discovered  such  great  courage   and  resolution  ^ 
made  such  pathetic  discourses,  and  ad<lressed  him- 


148 


CRUELTIEb. 


self  with  so  much  fervour  to  the  Almighty,  as  tilled 
all  his  hearers  with  admiration,  and  caused  them 
to  look  upon  his  judges  with  horror. 

In  the  same  Auto  da  Fe  were  likewise  burnt  Don- 
na Beatrix  Carvalho,  of  a  noble  family  of  Elvas. 
and  wife  to  Jacomo  de  Mcllo  ;  she  being  sentenced 
to  die  for  Judaism,  on  the  oaths  of  her  children. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that,  had  the  Inquisitors  ac- 
ted  with  sincerity  and  equity,  and  with  a  real  in- 
tention to  find  out  the  truth,  they  might  have  dis- 
covered the  innocence  of  the  lady,  as  well  as  that  oi 
Signior  Nobre,  by  comparing  the  confessions  which 
each  of  their  children  had  made  separately,  with 
the  depositions  of  the  witnesses.  A  wide  diifer- 
cnce  would  certainly  have  been  found,  on  this  oc- 
casion, in  the  facts  and  circumstances.  Truth  ad- 
mits of  no  variation  ;  and  is  ever  the  same  in  the 
mouths  of  those  who  follow  its  dictates.  Thus,  by 
confronting  them,  new  lights  must  have  been  struck 
out ;  but  then  the  doing  this  would  not  have  brought 
on  the  confiscation  of  the  possessions  of  the  two 
victims,  the  swallowing  up  of  which  was  the  sole 
view  of  the  Inquisitors. 

Joseph  Pereira  Meneses,  captain  general  of  his 
Portuguese  majesty's  fleets  in  India,  was  ordered 
by  the  governor  of  Goa  to  sail,  with  his  fleet,  to  the 
succour  of  the  city  of  Diu,  then  besieged  by  the 
Arabs.  Proceeding  on  his  voyage,  he  was  detain- 
ed by  contrary  winds,  at  Bacaim ;    whereby  the 


OF   I  HE  INQUISITION. 


MS' 


Arabs  had  an  opportunity  of  plundering  Diu,  and 
of  coming  back  laden  with  rich  spoils,  before  the 
arrival  of  the  succours  brought  by  Pereira  Meneses, 
This  commander  having  returned  to  Goa,  was  im- 
mediately seized  by  order  of  Antonio  de  Mello  de 
Castro,  governor  of  that  place,  and  a  sworn  ene- 
my to  Pereira.      His  prosecution  was  then  order- 
ed, when  he  was  accused  of  loitering  at  Bacaim. 
purposely  to  avoid  engaging  the  enemy  ;    and  thus 
to  have  caused  by  his  neglect  and  cowardice,  the 
ruin  and  plunder  of  Diu.     However,  as  governors 
are  not  permitted  to  put  commanders  to  death. 
vHthout  lirst  obtaining  an  express   order  from  the 
court  of  Portugal,  Antonio  de  Mello  could  not  take 
away  his  enemy's  life  ;    for  which  reason  he  pro^ 
nounced  such  a  sentence   upon  him,  as  was  more 
intolerable  than  death  itself  to  a  man  of  honour. 
Pereira,  pursuant  to  the  judgment  passed  upon  him, 
was   led  by  the  common   executioner  through  the 
streets,  with  a  halter  about  his  neck,  and  a  distaff 
at  his  side.     A  herald  walking  before,  cried  aloud, 
That  this  punishment  was  inflicted  on  him  by  the 
king,  for  being  a  coward  and  traitor.     Pereira  was 
then  carried  back  to  prison,  where  a  familiar  of  the 
Inquisition  came  and   demanded  him.     This  fresh 
step  surprised  every  one,  who  linew  that  he  could 
not  justly  be  accused  of  Judaism,  as  he  was  of  an 
ancient  christian  family,  and  had  always  behaved 
with  honour. — The  day  of  the  Auto  da  Fe  was 
13*        ' 


i5()  CRUELTIES 

therefore  expected  with  impatience  by  the  people, 
that  his  crime  might  be  made  known  to  them  :  but 
how  great  was  their  surprise,  when  the  prisoner 
did  not  come  forth  in  the  procession. 

Pereira  had  long  been  engaged  in  a  quarrel  with 
a  gentleman,  once  his  intimate  friend,  and  who  was 
seemingly  reconciled  to  him  before  this  misfortune. 
This  false  friend,  harbouring  a  secret  resolution  to 
revenge  himself  whenever  an  opportunity  should 
offer,  thought  this  imprisonment  of  Pereira  the  most 
favourable  for  his  purpose,  that  could  have  happen- 
ed. 

He  now  suborned  five  of  Pereira's  domestics, 
who  accused  their  master  to  the  Inquisitors  of  sodo- 
my ;  making  oath  that  they  had  seen  him  perpe- 
trate that  abominable  crime  with  one  of  his  pages, 
who  thereupon  was  seized.  The  latter  having  less 
courage  than  his  master  ;  and  dreading  a  cruel 
death,  in  case  he  should  not  do  all  he  was  comman- 
ded ;  and  finding  no  other  way  to  save  his  life  than 
by  pleading  guilty,  charged  himself  with  a  crime  of 
which  he  was  entirely  innocent  ;  and  thus  became, 
pursuant  to  the  practice  of  the  Inquisitors,  a  fresh 
witness  against  his  master.  The  servant,  by  this 
confession,  saved  his  own  life,  and  was  banished  to 
Mozambique  in  Africa. 

In  the  mean  time,  as  Pereira  persisted  in  declar- 
ing himself  innocent,  he  was  condemned  to  be  burnt 
alive  ;  and   would  have  been   committed  to   thr 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  151 

riames,  had  not  his  continual  protestations  of  inno- 
cence ;  or  rather  a  secret  esteem  which  the  Inqui- 
sitors ever  entertained  for  him,  made  them  suspend 
his  execution,  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  prevail 
with  him  to  make  a  confession  ;  or  find  opportuni- 
ties to  clear  up  the  affair.  For  this  reason  he  was 
ordered  to  remam  in  prison  till  next  Auto  da  Fe. 

During  this  interval,  the  Inquisitors  examined  the 
prisoner  and  his  witnesses  several  times  ;  when  in- 
terrogating the  latter  separately,  whether  the  moon 
shone  the  night-  in  whicii,  pursuant  to  their  oath, 
their  master  committed  the  detestable  crime  in 
question,  they  varied  in  their  answers.  Being  now 
put  to  the  torture,  they  denied  all  they  before  had 
swore  against  their  master.  The  accusers  were 
then  seized,  and  Joseph  Pereira  being  declared  in- 
nocent, came  out  of  prison  next  Auto  da  Fe,  strip- 
ped of  all  his  possessions,  and  quite  ruined.  Hie 
chief  accuser  was  banished  during  nine  years  to  Af- 
rica, and  the  witnesses  were  sent  to  the  galley  for 
five  years. 

The  above-mentioned  example  shows,  that  the 
Inquisitors  make  heresy  a  pretence,  merely  to  seize 
upon  the  wealth  of  the  innocent ;  and  that  this  tri- 
bunal gives  a  wicked  man  the  finest  opportunity 
possible,  to  satiate  his  vengeance. 

The  spirit  which  animates  the  Inquisitors  estab- 
lished in  the  East  Indies,  must  be  horrid,  since  even 
ihe  Jesuits  themselves,  thus  speak  of  them  in  their 


152  CRUELTIES 

universal  Latia  and  French  dictionary,  pnnted 
at  Trevoux  :  "  The  Inquisition  (say  the  most  right- 
eous  fathers)  is  vastly  severe  m  India.  'Tis  true, 
indeed,  that  seven  witnesses  are  required  to  swear 
against  a  man  before  he  can  be  condemned  ;  but 
then  the  depositions  of  a  slave,  or  of  a  child  are  ad- 
mitted. The  prisoner  must  be  accused  himself, 
and  he  never  sees  or  is  confronted  with  those  who 
swear  against  him.  A  person  who  happens  to  let 
drop  the  least  word  against  the  church;  or  does 
not  speak  with  sufficient  reverence  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion, shall  be  impeached.  The  standard  or  banner 
of  the  Inquisition  is  of  red  silk,  in  which  a  cross  is 
painted,  having  an  olive  bough  on  one  side,  and  on 
tlie  other  a  sword,  with  these  words  of  the  Psalm- 
ist round  it : — "  Arise,  Lord,  and  judge  thy  cause." 

What  a  solemn  mockery  have  we  here  of  scrip- 
ture, aad  how  detestable  a  use  is  made  of  a  suppli- 
cation of  the  psalmist !  Is  this  religion  ? — Does  this 
spirit  descend  from  above  ?  Surely  no ;  but  seems 
dictated  rather  by  the  black  chiefs  of  Milton's  in- 
fernal council. 

The  following  instance  proves  that  the  Inquisi- 
tors will  condemn  an  innocent  person,  rather  than 
permit  any  of  their  accusations  to  be  disproved. 

A  major  in  a  Portuguese  regiment  was  charged 
with  professing  Judaism  privately,  and  hurried  a- 
way  to  the  piison  of  the  Inquisition  in  Lisbon.  Be- 
ing descended  of  a  family  distinguished  by  the  name 


OP  THE  mquisiTioN.  153 

of  new  christians,  this  proved  a  great  prejudice  a- 
gainst  him.  He  was  then  asked  several  times,  the 
tause  of  his  seizure,  though  he  liiuseif  was  an  ut- 
ter stranger  to  it.  After  he  was  kept  in  prison  two 
years,  the  Inquisitors  told  him,  that  ne  was  accused 
and  duly  convicted,  of  being  a  relapsed  Jew,  which 
he  utterly  denied  ;  protesting  that  lie  had  been  al- 
>vays  a  true  and  faitnful  christian,  hi  a  word,  they 
could  not  prevail  with  him,  either  by  threats  or  pro- 
mises, to  plead  guilty  to  any  one  article  of  which 
he  stood  impeached  :  declaring  resolutely  to  his 
judges,  that  he  would  die  with  innocence,  rather 
than  preserve  his  life  by  an  action  which  must  cover 
him  with  eternal  infamy. 

Duke  d'Aveyero,  then  Inquisitor-General,  who 
was  desirous  of  saving  this  ollicer,  being  one  day 
upon  his  visitation,  strongly  exhorted  him  to  em- 
brace the  opportunity  he  had  of  extricating  himself; 
but  the  prisoner  continuing  inflexible,  the  Inquisi- 
tor was  fired,  and  spoke  thus  to  him  5  "  Dost  thou 
imagine  that  we'll  have  the  lie  on  this  occasion  ?" 
The  Inquisitor  then  withdrew,  leaving  the  prisoner 
to  his  reflections  on  what  he  had  heard.  Surely 
these  words  conveyed  a  meaning  inconsistent  with 
the  character  of  an  upright  judge,^  and  strongly 
spoke  the  iniquitous  spirit  of  this  tribunal. 

To  conclude,  the  Auto  da  Fe  approaching,  our 
victim  was  condemned  to  the  flames,  and  a  confes- 
sor sent  to  him.     Teirified  at  this  horrid  death,  he, 


M 


154  CRUELTIES 

though  entirely  innocent,  declared  himself  guilty  of 
the  crime  laid  to  his  charge.  His  possessions  were 
then  confiscated  •,  after  which  he  was  made  to  walk 
in  the  procession,  in  the  habit  of  one  relapsed  ;  and 
lastly,  was  sentenced  to  the  gallics  for  five  years. 

William  Lithgow,  a  Scotchman,  had  ever  retain- 
ed a  strong  inclination  to  travel.  To  gratify  it,  he 
first  went  to  Malaga,  and  there  agreed  with  the  cap- 
tain of  a  French  ship,  to  carry  him  to  Alexandria. 
Before  this  ship  set  sail,  an  English  fleet,  fitted  out 
against  the  Algerines,  came  and  cast  anchor  before 
Malaga,  the  7th  of  October  1620  ;  which  threw  thi 
whole  city  into  the  utmost  consternation,  supposing 
them  to  belong  to  Mahomedans.  But  the  next 
morning,  they  found  their  mistake,  and  the  governor 
seeing  the  British  cross  in  the  flags,  went  on  board 
the  ship  of  the  Admiral,  Sir  Robert  Mansel,  who 
received  him  with  the  greatest  politeness ;  so  that 
at  his  return,  he  removed  the  fears  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, and  made  them  lay  down  their  arms.  On  the 
morrow,  several  of  the  crew  came  on  shore ;  and 
being  Lithgow's  particular  friends,  spent  some  days 
in  viewing  the  curiosities  of  the  city,  and  in  other- 
wise diverting  themselves  ;  and  then  inviting  him 
on  board,  they  presented  him  to  the  admiral,  from 
whom  he  met  with  all  imaginable  civility.  They 
kept  Lithj^ow  on  board  next  day,  after^which  he 
returned  to  Malaga,  and  the  fleet  set  sail. 

As  Lithgow  was  returning  to  his  quarters  through 


OF  THE  INqulSTTlON.  155 

hye  streets,  with  a  view  to  carry  all  hi?  things  on 
board  the  French  ship,  which  was  to  sail  that  night 
for  Alexandria,  he  was  seized  by  nine  catchpcks,  or 
officers,  who  took  him  before  the  governor,  to  whom 
he  complained  of  the  violence  which  had  been  done 
him.  The  governor  answered  only  by  a  nod-,  and 
bid  certain  persons,  with  the  town  secretary;  to  go 
and  examine  him.  This  was  to  be  transacted  with 
all  possible  secrecy,  to  prevent  the  English  mer- 
chants, residing  in  Malaga,  from  hearing  of  his  ar- 
rest. 

The  council  assembling,  he  was  examined  •,  and 
being  suspected  to  be  an  English  spy,  they  did  all 
that  lay  in  their  power  to  make  some  discovery  to 
that  purpose,  but  in  vain.  They  afterwards  asked 
the  names  of  the  captains  of  the  fleet ;  whether 
Lithgow,  before  his  leaving  England,  did  not  know 
of  its  fitting  out  ?  Why  he  refused  the  offer  which 
the  English  admiral  made  of  taking  him  on  board 
his  ship  ?  In  a  word,  they  affirmed  that  he  was  a 
spy  ;  and  that  he  had  been  nine  months  in  Malaga, 
with  no  other  view  than  to  give  intelligence  to  the 
English  court,  of  the  time  when  the  Spanish  fleet 
was  expected  from  India.  They  then  observed, 
that  this  intimacy  with  the  officers,  and  a  great  ma- 
ny more  of  his  countrymen  on  board  this  fleet,  who 
shewed  him  the  highest  civilities,  were  strong  indir 
cations  of  his  guilt. 

As  Lithgow  found  it  impossible  to  erase  these  bad 


l.'^e  eRUELTIES 

impressions  he  intreated  them  to  send  lor  a  bag  con- 
taining his  letters  and  other  papers  ;  the  perusal  of 
which,  he  declared,  would  prove  his  innocence. — 
The  bag  being  accordingly  brought,  and  the  con- 
tents of  it  examined,  they  were  found  to  consist 
chiefly  of  passports,  and  testimonials  from  several 
persons  of  quahty  ;  a  circumstance  which,  instead 
of  lessening  their  suspicions,  served  only  to  height- 
en them.  Presejitly  a  subaltern  oflicer  came  into 
the  room  to  search  him,  and  took  eleven  ducats  out 
of  his  pocket.  Stripping  him  afterwards  to  his 
shirt,  they  found  in  the  waistband  of  his  breeches, 
the  value  of  548  ducats,  in  gold.  Lithgow  putting 
on  his  clothes  again,  Avas  conducted  to  a  secure 
place,  and  from  thence  removed  to  an  horrid  dun- 
geon, where  he  was  allowed  neither  bed  nor  bed- 
ding ;  and  only  an  ounce  and  half  of  musty  bread, 
and  a  pint  of  water  daily. 

As  he  would  confess  nothing,  he  was  put  to  the 
torture  three  days  after.  The  wretches  had  the  in- 
humanity to  make  him  undergo,  in  the  space  of  five 
hours,  fifty  different  sorts  of  torture  ;  after  which  he 
was  remanded  back  to  prison,  where  two  eggs  were 
given  him,  and  a  little  hot  wine,  sufficient  to  keep 
him  alive. 

On  this  occasion  he  received  from  a  Turk,  fa- 
vours which  he  could  not  have  hoped  from  persons 
who  stile  themselves  christians.  This  Turk  ad- 
ministered to  him  all  the  consolation  possible,  and 


ni 


OF  THE  IN'QUISITIOJJ.  157 

wept  to  see  the  cruelties  exercised  on  Lithgow.  He 
then  informed  him,  that  certain  English  priests  be> 
longing  to  a  seminary,  together  with  a  Scotch  coop- 
er, had  been  some  time  employed  by  the  governor's 
order,  in  translating  into  Spanish,  all  his  books,  and 
the  observations  made  by  him  in  his  travels.  The 
Turk  added,  that  it  was  publicly  reported,  that  he 
was  a  most  notorious  heretic.  It  was  then,  Lith- 
gow naturally  supposed  that  every  engine  would  be 
set  at  work,  to  ruin  him. 

Two  days  after,  the  governor,  with  the  inquisi- 
tor and  two  Jesuits,  came  to  Lithgow  in  prison ; 
when  after  asking  him  several  questions,  and  strong- 
ly urging  him  to  change  his  religion,  they  declared, 
that,  having  first  seized  him  as  a  spy,  they  had  dis- 
covered, by  the  translation  of  his  papers,  that  he  rid- 
iculed the  blessed  lady  of  Loretto  ;  and  sp£(ke  ve- 
ry irrevelently  of  his  holiness,  Christ's  vicegerent 
upon  earth :  that  informations  had  been  lodged 
against  him  before  tha  Inquisitors  ;  that  he  should 
be  allowed  eight  days  to  return  to  the  pale  of  the 
lurch ;  during  which  the  Inquisitor  himself,  and 
other  priests,  would  give  him  all  the  instructions 
necessary,  to  extricate  him  from  his  miserable 
state. 

They  visited  him  again  several  times,  but  with- 
out success.  In  fine,  the  eigth  day  bemg  come,  he- 
was  sentenced  to  undergo  eleven  different  tortures  ;, 
when,  in>case  he  survived  them,  he  was  to  be  c-er- 


1511        ■•  CRUELTIES 

lied  to  Granada,  and  burnt  there,  after  easter  holi- 
days. The  same  evening  he  was  put  to  the  tor- 
ture, and  bore  it  with  great  resolution,  though  the 
utmost  cruelty  was  practised  on  this  occasion.  He 
was  then  remanded  back  to  his  dungeon,  where 
some  Turkish  slaves  broaght  him,  secretly,  refresh- 
ments, which  he  was  too  weak  to  take.  One  of 
these  slaves,  though  educated  in  the  Mahomedan 
religion  fi'om  his  infancy,  was  so  strongly  affected 
with  the  deplorable  condition  to  which  Lithgow  was 
reduced,  that  he  fell  sick  for  several  days.  .  How- 
ever, a  Moorish  female  slave  amply  compensated 
for  the  kind  Turk's  absence  ;  she  being  allowed 
more  liberty  in  the  prison.  This  female  slave 
brought  Lithgow,  daily,  provisions,  with  a  little 
wine  ;  and  this  courtesy  continued  six  weeks. 

To  conclude,  at  a  time  when  Lithgow  expected, 
every  instant,  to  die  in  the  most  cruel  torments,  he 
was  released  by  a  very  unexpected  accident.  A 
Spaniard  of  distinction  being  at  supper  with  the  gov- 
ernor, the  latter  informed  him  of  every  thing  that 
had  happened  to  Lithgow,  since  his  imprisonment. 
As  he  had  described,  minutely,  the  various  tortures 
he  underwent,  a  young  flemish  servant,  who  used 
to  wait  on  the  Spanish  gentlemen  at  table,  moved 
to  compassion  at  the  sad  relation  of  the  barbarity 
exercised  on  Lithgow,  and  his  being  sentenced  to 
the  flames  ;  fell  into  such  agonies  that  he  could  not 
ileep  the  whole  night.     Getting  up  the  next  morn- 


OF  THE  INQUISITION.  11^9 

ing  by  day  break,  he  went,  unknown  to  any  one,  to 
an  English  iactor ;  and  informed  him  of  the  con- 
versation which  had  passed  between  the  governor 
and  his  master.  The  servant  being  gone,  the  En- 
glishmaii  sent  for  the  other  six  factors,  his  country- 
men, residing  in  Malaga ;  when,  consulting  togeth- 
er, they  resolved  to  write  to  Madrid,  to  Sir 

Aston,  the  English  embassador;  who  presenting  a 
memorial  to  the  Spanish  king  and  council,  Lith- 
gow  was  released  and  put  on  board  Sir  Robert 
Mausel's  fleet,  then  laying  at  anchor  before  Mala- 
ga. The  poor  victim  was  so  weak,  that  they  were 
forced  to  carry  him  upon  blankets.  The  admiral 
afterwards  demanded  Lithgow's  books,  papers,  mo- 
ney, kc,  but  no  other  answer  was  returned  him 
than  mere  compliments.* 

Consalvius  gives  us  an  example,  which  shows 
that  vice  is  not  the  object  of  the  Inquisitors'  hat- 
red. A  poor  inhabitant  of  Seville,  who  supported 
his  family  by  his  daily  labour,  had  the  mortification 
to  have  his  wife  kept  forcibly  from  him  by  a  priesl^ 
which  was  yet  winked  at  by  the  Inquisition,  and  ev- 
ery other  tribunal.  As  this  man  was  one  day  dis- 
coursing concerning  purgatory,  with  some  of  his 
acquaintance,  he  spoke  in  such  terms  as  though  he 
intended  only  to  disburden  his  mind.     As  to  myself, 

*See  Lithgow's  Trayela  :  and  Limbroach's  History  of  the  In- 
qfliaition. 


160  CRUELTIES,  (fee. 

(says  he)  I  have  my  purgatory  in  this  world,  by  my 
wife's  being  thus  withheld  from  me  by  the  priest. 
These  words  being  told  to  the  ecclesiastic,  he  im- 
peached the  husband  to  the  Inquisition,  as  having 
advanced  some  errors  relating  to  the  doctrine  of 
purgatory.  Hereupon  the  Inquisitors,  without  onee 
reproaching  the  priest  for  his  crime,  seized  the  hus- 
band. The  latter  was  then  imprisoned  two  years  ; 
and  after  walking  in  the  procession  at  the  first  Auto 
da  Fe,  and  being  sentenced  to  wear,  during  three 
years,  the  sau  benito,  in  a  private  prison  ;  at  the 
expiration  of  that  term,  he  was  ordered,  either  to 
be  continued  in  prison,  or  to  be  released,  as  the 
Inquisitors  should  see  fit.  But  they  carried  their 
cruelties  to  such  lengths,  as  to  confiscate  to  the  use 
of  their  tribunal,  the  httle  that  this  unhappy  crea- 
ture had  in  the  world,  and  permitted  the  priest 
still  to  enjoy  his  wife  ;  the  holy  lecher  being  pas- 
sionately fond  of  her. 

The  various  circumstances  given  above,  all  of 
them  compiled  from  authors  of  approved  veracity, 
sufficiently  show,  that  the  Inquisition  is  the  most 
iniquitous  and  most  inhuman  tribunal  on  earth. 


A 

MASTER-KEY 

*■  TO 

POPERY. 


PREFACE. 


WHEN  I  first  designed  to  publish  the  following  sheets,  it  was 
a  matter  of  some  doubt  with  me,  whsther  I  should  put  ray  name 
to  them,  considering  that  I  exposed  myself  to  the  malice  of  a 
great  body  of  men,  who  would  endeavour  on  all  occasions  to  in- 
jure me  in  my  reputation  and  fortune,  if  not  in  my  life. — But  on 
the  other  hand,  I  foresaw,  that  if  I  concealed  my  name,  a  great 
part  of  the  benefit  intended  to  the  public  by  this  work,  might  be 
lost.  For  I  have  often  observed,  as  to  books  of  this  kind,  where 
facts  only  are  related,  that  wherever  the  authors,  out  of  caution 
or  fear,  have  concealed  themselves,  the  event  commonly  has  been, 
that  even  the  friends  to  the  cause  which  the  facts  support,  give 
but  a  cold  assent  to  them,  and  the  enemies  reject  them  entirely 
as  calumnies  and  forgeries  without  ever  giving  themselves  the 
trouble  of  examining  into  the  truth  of  that  which  the  relator 
dares  not  openly  avow.  On  this  account  I  thought  it  advisable 
to  give  my  name  with  the  book.  But  I  am  at  the  same  time 
obliged  to  say  something  in  vindication  of  myself,  and  shall  then 
leave  the  public  to  judge  of  the  correctness  of  my  statements. 

As  soon  as  it  had  pleased  God  by  his  grace  to  overcome  in  me 
the  prejudices  of  my  education  in  favour  of  that  corrupt  church, 
in  which  I  had  been  bred  up,  and  to  inspire  me  with  a  resolution 
to  embrace  tho  protestant  religion,  I  saw  that  to  preserve  my 
life,  I  must  immediately  quit  Spain,  where  all  persons  who  do 
not  publicly  profess  the  Romish  religion,  are  condemned  to  death. 

I  accordingly  disguised  myself  in  the  habit  of  an  officer,  and  by 
that  means  arrived  safe  in  London,  when  I  was  taken  under  thr* 
patronage  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  as  will  appear  by  the,follow- 
ing  certificate  : 

Whereas  the  Rev.  Mr.  Anthony  Gavin  was  recommended  to 
me,  by  the  right  honourable  Lord  Stanhope :  and  by  the  same 
and  other  EagUsb  gentlemen,  I  was  certified  that  th?  gaid  Rev, 


164  PREFACE. 

Mr.  Gavin  was  a  secular  priest,  and  master  of  arts,  in  the  uni 
versity  of  the  city  of  Saragossa,  in  the  kingdom  of  Arragon,  in 
Spain,  and  that  they  knew  him  in  the  said  city,  and  conversed 
with  him  several  times  :  Tins  is  to  certify  that  the  said  Rev.  Mr. 
Gavin,  after  having  publicly  and  solemnly  abjured  the  errors  oi 
the  Romish  religion  ;  and  being  thereupon  by  me  reconciled  to 
the  church  of  England,  on  the  3d  day  of  January,  1715-16  ;  he 
had  then  my  leave  to  officiate,  in  the  Spanish  language,  in  the 
chapel  of  Queens-square,  Westminster  ;  and  now  being  appoint- 
ed chaplain  of  his  Majesty's  ship,  the  Preston,  has  my  licence  to 
preach  in  English,  and  to  administer  the  sacraments  at  home  and 
abroad,  in  all  the  churches  and  chapels  of  my  riiocess.  Given 
under  my  hand  in  London,  the  13th  of  July,  J720. 

Signed,  JOHN  LONDON. 

The  certificate,  licence  and  warrant,  may  be  seen  at  anytime, 
for  I  have  them  by  me. 

After  that,  the  ship  being  put  out  of  commission,  and  my  pat- 
ron, Lord  Stanhope,  having  died,  I  got  the  curacy  of  Gowran, 
by  the  licence  of  my  Lord  Bishop  of  Ossory. 

As  for  the  reasons  which  movid  me  to  publish  this  book,  I  shall 
only  say,  that  as  the  corrupt  practices,  which  are  the  subject  of 
it,  first  set  me  upon  examining  into  the  pr.nciples  of  the  church 
of  Rome,  and  by  that  means  of  renouncing  them  ;  so  I  thought 
that  the  making  them  public  might  happily  produce  the  same  ef- 
fect in  some  others. 

1  did  design  on  this  occasion  to  give  a  particular  account  of  the 
motives  of  my  conversion,  and  leaving  Spain  ;  but  being  confined 
to  a  fixed  number  of  pages,  by  the  publisher,  I  must  leave  that  and 
other  things  relating  to  tlie  sacraments  of  the  church  of  Rome,  to 
the  second  part,  which  I  intend  to  print  if  the  public  think  fit  to 
encourage  me. 

The  reader  will  excuse  my  presumption  in  writing  in  his  own 
language,  on  so  short  an  acquaintance  as  I  have  with  it.  I  shaU 
be  pleased  to  be  told  of  any  mistakes^,  and  shall  take  the  greater 
eare  to  avoid  them  in  the  secood  part. 

ANTHONY  GAVIN. 


A  MASTER-KEY 


POPERY. 


Of  the  Roman  Catholics''  Auricular  Confession, 

Auricular  confession  being  one  of  the  five  com- 
mandents  of  the  Roman  CathoUc  church,  and  a 
condition  necessarily  required  in  one  of  their  sacra- 
ments ;  and  being  too  an  article  that  will  contri- 
bute very  much  to  the  discovery  of  many  other  er- 
rors of  that  communion,  it  may  be  proper  to  make 
use  of  the  Master-Key,  and  begin  with  it :  and  first 
of  all,  with  the  father  confessors,  who  are  the  only 
key-keepers  of  it. 

Though  a  priest  cannot  be  licenced,  by  the  can- 
ons of  their  church,  to  hear  men's  confessions,  till 
he  is  thirty  years,  nor  to  confess  women  till  forty 
years  of  age,  yet  ordinarily  he  gets  a  dispensation 
from  the  bishop,  to  whom  his  probity,  secrecy,  and 
sober  conversatson  are  represented  by  one  of  the 
diocesan  examinators,  his  friend,  or  by  some  person 
of  interest  with  his  lordship  ;    and  by  that  means 


166  A  MASTER-KEY 

he  gets  a  confessor's  licence,  most  commonly,  the 
day  he  gets  his  letters  of  orders. 

To  priests  thus  licenced,  to  be  judges  of  the  tri- 
bunal of  conscience,  men  and  women  discover  their 
•ins,  their  actions,  their  thoughts,  nay,  their  very 
dreams,  if  they  happen  to  be  impure.  And  by  this 
means  it  often  happens,  that  a  young  man  who, 
perhaps,  does  not  know  more  than  a  few  defini- 
tions (which  he  hath  learned  in  a  little  manual  of 
some  casuistical  authors)  of  what  sin  is,  sits  in  such 
a  tribunal,  to  judge,  in  the  most  intricate  cases,  the 
consciences  of  men,  and  of  those  too  that  may  be 
his  masters. 

I  saw  a  reverend  father  who  had  been  eight  and 
twenty  years  professor  of  divinity  in  one  of  the 
most  considerable*  universities  in  Spain,  and  one 
of  the  most  famous  men  for  his  learning,  in  that  re- 
ligion, kneel  down  before  a  young  priest  of  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  and  confess  his  sins  to  him.  Nay, 
the  pope,  notwithstanding  all  his  infallibility,  kneels 
down  before  his  confessor,  tells  him  his  sins,  hears 
his  correction,  and  receives  and  performs  whatev- 
er penance  he  imposes  upon  him. 

Who  then  would  not  be  surprised  to  see  the 
most  holy  Jesus  Christ's  vicar  on  earth,  and  the  in- 
fallible in  whatever  he  says,  submit  himself  to  con- 

*The  university  of  Sar^jgossa,  in  the  kingdom  of  Arragon,  in 
.  Spain,  which,  according  to  their  historians,  was  built  bySerto- 


^*- 


TO  POPERY.  167 

fess  his  sins  to  a  man,  and  a  man  too  that  has  no 
other  power  to  correct  him,  to  advise  and  impose 
a  penance  upon' the  most  holy  one,  than  what  his 
holiness  has  been  pleased  to  grant  him  ? 

I  come  now  to  the  Auricular  Confession,  and  of  the 
ways  and  methods  they  practise  and  observe  in  the 
confessing  of  their  sins.  There  is  among  them  two 
ranks  of  people,  learned  and  unlearned.  The  lear- 
ned confess  by  these  three  general  heads — thought, 
word  and  deed — reducing  them  into  all  sorts  of 
sins.  The  unlearned  confess  the  ten  command- 
ments, discovering  by  them  all  the  mortal  sins  which 
they  have  committed  since  their  last  confession. — 
To  the  dsscovery  of  the  mortal  sins  the  father  con- 
fessor assists  the  penitent  ;  for  he  sometimes  out  of 
pure  zeal,  but  most  commonly  out  of  curiosity,  asks 
them  many  questions  to  know  whether  they  remem 
ber  all  their  sins,  or  not  ?  By  these  questions,  the 
confessors  do  more  mischief  than  good,  especially 
to  the  ignorant  people,  and  young  women  ;  for  per- 
haps they  do  not  know  Avhat  simple  fornication  is  ? 
What  voluntary  or  involuntary  pollution  ?  Wnat 
impure  desire  !  What  sinful  motion  of  our  hearts  ? 
What  relapse,  reincidence,  or  reiteration  of  sins  ? 
And  the  like  ;  and  then  by  the  confessor's  indiscreet 
questions,  the  penitents  learn  things  of  which  they 
never  had  dreamed  before  ;  ann  when  they  conie 
to  that  tribunal  with  a  sincere  ignorant  heart,  to  re- 
ceive advice  and  instruction,  they  go  home  with 


168  A  MASTER-KEY 

light,  knowledge,  and  an  idea  of  sins  unknown  to 
theni  before. 

Now,  as  a  penitent  cannot  hide  any  thing  from 
the  spiritual  judge,  else  he  would  make  a  sacrile- 
gious confession  ;  so  1  will  not  hide  any  thing  from 
the  public  who  are  to  be  the  temporal  judges  of  my 
work,  else  I  should  betray  my  conscience  ;  there- 
fore, I  shall  give  a  faithful,  plain  account  of  the  Ro- 
man's auricular  confession,  and  of  the  most  usual 
questions  and  answers  between  the  confessors  and 
penitents. 

When  the  penitent  comes  into  the  church,  he 
takes  holy  water,  and  sprinkles  his  face,  and  ma- 
king the  sign  of  the  cross,  says,  per  sigmtm  crucis 
de  inimicis  nostris  libera  nos  Dtus  noster :  In  no- 
mine Patris  ei  Filli,  et  Spiritus  Sancti.  Amen. 
i.  e.  By  the  sign  of  the  cross,  deliver  us  our  God 
from  our  enemies,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen.  Then 
the  penitent  goes  on,  and  kneels  down  before 
the  great  altar,  where  the  great  l^ost  is  kept  in 
a  net  and  rich  tabernacle,  with  a  brass  or  silver 
lamp  hanging  before  it,  and  burning  continually, 
night  and  day.  There  he  makes  a  prayer,  first  to 
the  holy  sacrament  of  the  altar,  after  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  and  to  the  tit  jlar  saints  of  the  church.  Then 
turns  about  on  his  knees,  and  visits  five  altars,  or  if 
there  is  but  one  altar  in  Ihe  church,  five  times  that 
altar,  aad  says  before  each  of  thena-five  times.  Pa- 


TO  POPERY.  169 

fernoster,  kc.  and  five  times  Ave  Marirr,  kc,  with 
Gloria  Patria,  kc. 

Then  he  rises,  and  goes  to  the  confessing  place, 
where  the  confessor  sits  in  a  chair  hke  our  hackney 
chairs,  which  is  most  commonly  placed  in  some  of 
the  chapels,  and  in  the  darkest  place  of  the  church. 
The  chairs,  generally  speaking,  have  an  iron  grate 
at  each  side,  and  on  some  days  of  devotion,  or  on  a 
great  festival,  there  is  such  a  crowd  of  people  that 
you  may  see  three  penitents  at  once  about  the  chiir, 
one  at  each  grate,  and  the  other  at  the  door,  though 
only  one  confesses  at  a  time,  whisperii'g  in  the  con- 
fessor's ear,  that  the  others  should  not  hear  what  he 
says,  and  when  one  has  done,  the  other  begins. 
But  most  commonly  they  confess  at  the  door  of  the 
chair  one  after  another  ;  thus  the  confessor  has  an 
opportunity  of  knowing  the  penitent.  And  though 
many  gentlewomen  either  oyt  of  bashfulness,  shnme, 
or  modesty,  do  endeavour  to  hide  their  faces  with  a 
fan,  or  veil;  notwithstanding  all  this,  they  are 
known  by  the  confessor,  who  if  curious,  by  crafty 
questions  brings  tiiem  to  tell  him  their  names  and 
houses,  and  this  in  the  very  act  of  confession,  or 
else  he  examines  their  faces  when  the  confession  is 
over,  whilst  the  penitents  are  kissing  his  hand,  or 
sleeve  ;  and  if  he  cannot  know  them  in  this  v,ay, 
he  goes  himself  to  give  the  sacrament,  and  tb«in 
every  one  being  obliged  to  show  her  face,  is  known 
by  the  curious  confessor,  who  does  this,  not  without 
15 


170  A  MASTER-KEV 

a  private  view  and  design,  as  will  appear  at  the 
end  of  some  private  confessions. 

The  penitent  then  kneeling,  bows  herself  to  the 
<:;round' before  the  confessor,  and  makes  again  the 
sign  of  the  cross  in  the  aforesaid  form  •,  and  having 
in  her  hand  the  beads,  or  rosary  of  the  Virgin  Ma- 
ry, begins  the  general  confession  of  sins,  as  follows  : 

I  do  confess  to  God  Almighty,  to  the  blessed  Ma- 
ry, always  a  Virgm,  to  the  blessed  Archangel  Mi- 
chael, to  the  blessed  John  Baptist,  to  the  holy  a- 
postles  Peter  and  Paul,  to  all  the  saints,  and  to 
thee  O  father,  that  I  have  too  much  sinned  by 
thought,  word,  and  deed,  by  my  fault,  by  my  fault, 
by  my  greatest  fault :  Therefore  I  beseech  the 
blessed  Mary,  always  a  Virgin,  the  blessed  Arch- 
angel Michael,  the  blessed  John  Baptist,  the  holy 
apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  all  the  saints,  and  thee,  O 
Father,  to  pray  to  God  our  Lord  forme.  Amen. 

This  done,  the  penitent  raises  him  from  his  pros- 
tration  to  his  knees,  and  touching  with  his  lip,  either 
the  ear  or  the  cheek  of  the  spiritual  father,  begins 
.to  discover  his  sins  by  the  ten  commandments  :  and 
here  it  may  be  necessary  to  give  a  translation  of 
their  ten  commandments,  word  for  word. 

The  commandments  of  the  law  of  God  are  ten : 
the  three  first  do  pertain  to  the  honour  of  God  ; 
and  the  other  seven  to  the  benefit  of  our  neighbour. 
The 


TO  POPERY.  171 

1.  Thou  shalt  love  God  above  all  things. 
II.  Thou  shalt  not  swear. 

III.  Thou  shalt  sanctify  the  holy  days. 

IV.  Thou  shalt  honour  father  and  mother. 
V.  Thou  shalt  not  kill. 

VI.  Thou  shalt  not  comniit  fornication. 
.     VII.  Thou  shalt  not  steal. 

VIII.  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness,  nor  lie. 
IX.   Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbour's  wife. 
X.  Thou  shalt  not  covet  the  things  which  are 
another's. 

These  ten  commandments  are  comprised  in  two  : 
viz.  to  serve  and  love  God,  and  thy  neighbour  as 
thyself.     Amen. 

It  is  likewise  proper  to  give  an  account  of  the 
children's  confessions,  who  have  not  yet  attained 
the  seventh  year  of  their  age. — The  preacher  of 
the  parish  pitches  upon  one  day  of  the  week,  most 
commonly,  in  the  middle  of  Lent,  to  hear  the  chil- 
dren's confessions,  and  gives  notice  to  the  congre- 
gation the  Sunday  before,  that  every  father  of  a 
family  may  send  his  children,  both  boys  and  girls,- 
to  church,  on  the  day  appointed  in  the  afternoon . 
The  mothers  dress  their  children  in  the  best  possi- 
ble manner,  and  give  them  the  otlering  money  for 
the  expiation  of  their  sins.  That  afternoon  is  a  ho- 
ly day  in  the  parish,  not  by  precept,  but  by  custom, 
for  there  is  no  parishoner,  either  old  or  young,  man 
or  Avoman,  who  does  not  go  and  hear  the  children's 


172  A  MASTER-KEY 

confessions.  It  is  reckoned  among  them,  a  greater 
diversion  than  a  comedy,  as  you  may  judge  by  the 
following  account. 

The  day  appointed,  the  children  repair  to  church 
ut  three  of  the  clock,  where  the  preacher  is  wait- 
ing for  them  with  a  long  reed  in  his  hand,  and  when 
all  are  together,  the  reverend  Father  places  them 
in  a  circle  round  himself,  and  then  kneeling  down 
makes  the  sign  of  ^he  cross,  and  says  a  short  pray- 
er. This  done,  he  exhorts  the  children  to  hide  no 
sin  from  him,  but  to  tell  him  all  they  have  commit- 
ted. Then  he  strikes,  with  the  reed,  the  child 
whom  he  designs  to  confess  the  first,  and  asks  him 
(he  following  questions. 

Confessor.  How  long  is  it  since  you  last  confes- 
sed ? 

Boy.  Father,  a  whole  year,  or  the  last  Lent. 

Conf.  And  how  many  sins  have, you  committed 
from  that  time  till  now  ? 

Boy.  Two  dozen. 

Now  the  confessor  asks  round  about. 

Conf.  And  you  ? 

Boy.  A  thousand  and  ten. 

Another  will  say  a  bag  full  of  small  lies,  and  teu 
big  sins. 

Conf.  But  pray,  you  say  that  you  have  commit- 
ted ten  big  sins,  tell  me  how  big  ? 

Boy.  As  big  as  a  tree. 

Conf.  But  tell  me  the  sins. 


TO  POPERY.  173 

Boy.  There  is  one  sin  I  committed,  which  1  dare 
not  tell  your  reverence  before  all  the  people  ;  for 
some  body  here  present  will  kill  me,  if  he  hears 


me. 


Conf.  Well,  come  out  of  the  circle,  and  tell  it 


me. 


They  both  go  out,  with  a  loud  voice,  he  tells 
him,  that  such  a  day  he  stole  a  nest  of  sparrows 
from  a  tree  of  another  boy's,  and  that  if  he  knew  it 
he  would  kill  him.  Then  both  come  again  into  the 
circle,  and  the  father  asks  other  boys  and  girls  so 
many  ridiculous  questions,  and  the  children  an- 
swer him  so  many  pleasant,  innocent  things,  that 
the  congregation  laughs  all  the  while.  One  will 
say  that  his  sins  are  red,  another  that  one  of  his 
sins  is  white,  one  black,  and  one  green,  and  in  these 
trifling  questions  they  spend  two  hours  time. — 
When  the  congregation  is  weary  of  laughing,  the 
confessor  gives  the  children  a  correction,  and  bids 
them  not  to  sin  any  more,  for  a  black  boy  takes 
along  with  him  the  wicked  children  :  then  he  asks 
the  offering,  and  after  he  has  got  all  from  them 
gives  them  the  penance  for  their  sins.  To  one  he 
says,  I  give  you  for  penance,  to  eat  a  sweet  cake, 
to  another  not  to  go  to  school  the  day  following. 
To  another,  to  desire  his  mother  to  buy  him  a  new 
hat,  and  such  things  as  these,  and  pronouncing  the 
■words  of  absolution,  he  dismisses  the  congregation 
with  Amen,  so  be  it,  every  year. 
15* 


1'74  A  MASTER-KEY 

These  are  the  first  foundations  of  the  Romish  re- 
ligion for  youth. 

Now  I  come  to  an  account  of  several  private 
confessions  of  both  sexes,  beginning  from  people  of 
fifteen  years  of  age.  The  confession  is,  a  dialogue 
between  the  spiritual  father  and  the  penitent ;  there- 
fore I  shall  deliver  the  confessions  by  way  of  dia- 
logue : 

Thti  confession  of  a  yonng  woman  in  Saragossa,  whom 
I  shall  call  Mary. 

Confessor.  How  long  is  it  since  you  last  confes- 
tied? 

Mary.  It  is  two  years  and  two  months. 

Conf.  Pray,  do  you  know  the  commandments  of 
our  holy  mother  the  church  ? 

Mary.  Yea,  father. 

Conf.  Rehearse  them. 

Mary.  The  commandments  of  our  holy  mother; 
the  church,  are  five.  1 .  To  hear  Mass  on  Sun- 
days and  Holy-days.  2.  To  confess  at  least  once 
in  a  year,  and  oftener  if  there  be  danger  of  death. 
3.  To  receive  the  eucharist.  4.  To  fast.  5.  To 
pay  tithes  and  Primitia.* 

Conf.  Now  rehearse  the  seven  sacraments. 

Mary.  The  sacraments  of  the  holy  mother,  the 
church,  are  seven,  viz.  Baptism,  Confirmation,  Pen- 

*Primitia  is  to  pay,  besides  the  tenth,  one  thirtieth  part  of  the 
fruits  of  the  earth,  towards  the  repair  of  the  church  v€stments,&€. 


TO  POPERY.  17,0 

ance,  the  Lord's  Supper,  Extreme  Unction,  Holy 
Orders,  Matrimony.     Amen. 

Conf.  You  see  in  the  second  commandment  of 
the  church,  and  in  the  third,  among  the  sacraments, 
that  you  are  obhged  to  confess  every  year.  Why 
then,  have  you  neglected  so  much  longer  a  time  to 
fulfil  the  precept  of  our  holy  mother? 

Mary.  As  I  am  young  and  a  great  sinner,  I  was 
aBhamed,  reverend  father,  to  confess  my  sins  to  the 
priest  of  our  parish,  for  fear  he  should  know  me  by 
some  passages  of  my  life,  which  would  be  prejudi- 
cial to  mc,  and  to  several  other  persons  related  to 
my  family. 

Conf.  But  you  know  that  it  is  the  indispensable 
duty  of  the  minister  of  the  parish,  to  expose  in  the 
church,  after  Easter,  all  those  who  have  not  confes- 
sed, nor  received  the  sacrament  before  that  time. 

Mary.  I  do  know  it  very  well ;  but  I  went  out  of 
the  city  towards  the  middle  of  Lent,  and  1  did  not 
come  back  again  till  after  Easter ;  and  when  I  was 
asked  in  the  country,  whether  I  had  confessed  that 
Lent  or  not  ?  I  said,  that  I  had  done  it  in  the  city  : 

And  when  the  minister  of  the  parish  asked  me  the 
same  question,  I  told  him,  I  had  done  it  in  the  coun- 
try :  So,  with  this  lie,  I  freed  myself  from  the  pub- 
lic censure  of  the  church. 

Conf.  And  did  you  perform  the  last  penance  im- 
posed upon  you  ? 

Mary.  Yea,  father,  but  not  with  that  exactness  J 
was  commanded. 


176  A  MASTER-KEY 

Conf.  What  was  the  penance  ? 

Mary.  To  fast  three  days  upon  bread  and  water. 
an<3  to  give  ten  reals  of  plate,  and  to  say  live  Mass- 
es for  the  souls  in  purgatory.  I  did  perform  the  first 
part,  but  not  the  second,  because  I  could  not  get 
money  for  it,  unknown  to  my  parents  at  that  time. 

Conf,  Do  you  promise  me  to  perform  it,  as  soon 
as  you  can  ? 

Mary.  I  have  the  money  here,  which  I  will  leave 
with  you,  and  you  may  say,  or  order  another  priest 
to  say  the  Masses. 

Conf.  Very  well  :  But  tell  me  now,  what  reason 
have  you  to  come  to  confess  out  of  the  time  appoint- 
ed by  the  church  ?  Is  it  for  devotion,  to  quiet  your 
conscience,  and  merely  to  make  your  peace  with 
God  Almighty,  or  some  worldly  end  ? 

Mary.  Good  father,  pity  my  condition,  and  pray 
put  me  in  the  right  way  of  salvation,  for  I  am  ready 
to  despair  of  God's  mercy,  if  you  do  not  quiet  and 
ease  my  troubled  conscience.  Now  I  will  answer 
to  your  question  :  The  reason  is,  because  a  gentle- 
man, who  under  promise  of  marriage,  kept  me  these 
two  last  years,  and  died  months  ago  ;  and  I  have  re- 
solved in  my  heart  to  retire  myself  into  a  monaste- 
ry, and  to  end  there  my  days,  serving  God  and  his 
holy  mother,  the  Virgin  Mary. 

Conf.  Do  not  take  any  resolution  precipitately, 
for,  may  be,  if  your  passion  grows  cool,  you  will  al- 
ter your  mind  5  and  I  suspect,  Avith  a  great  deal  of 


•v  TO  POPERY.  177 

reason,  that  your  repentance  is  not  sincere,  and 
that  you  come  to  confess  out  of  sorrow  for  the  gen- 
tleman's death,  more  than  out  of  sorrow  for  your 
sins  ;  and  if  it  be  so,  I  advise  you  to  take  more  time 
to  consider  the  state  of  your  conscience,  and  to 
come  to  me  a  fortnight  hence. 

My  father,  all  the  world  shall  not  alter  my  mind, 
and  the  daily  remorse  of  my  conscience  brings  me 
to  your  feet,  with  a  full  resolution  to  confess  all  my 
sins,  to  obtain  absolution,  and  to  live  a  new  life 
hereafter. 

Conf.  If  it  is  so,  let  us,  in  the  name  of  God,  be- 
gin the  confession,  and  I  require  of  you  not  to  for- 
get any  circumstance  of  sin,  which  may  contribute 
to  ease  your  conscience.  And  aho^  e  all,  I  desire 
of  you  to  lay  aside  shame,  while  you  confess  your 
sins  ;  for,  suppose  that  your  sins  exceed  the  niunber 
of  stars,  or  the  number  of  the  sands  of  the  sea, 
God's  mercy  is  infinite,  and  accepts  of  the  true  pen- 
itent heart,  for  he  wills  not  the  death  of  a  sinner, 
but  that  he  should  repent  and  turn  to  him. 

Mary,  I  do  design  to  open  freely  my  heart  to 
you,  and  to  follow  your  advice,  as  to  the  spiritual 
course  of  my  life. 

Conf.  Begin  then  by  the  first  commandment. 

Mary.  I  do  confess,  in  this  commandment,  that  1 
have  Jiot  loved  God  above  all  things  ;  for  all  ni} 
care,  these  two  years  past,  has  been  to  please  Don 
Francisco,  in  whatever  thing  he  desired  me,  and 


178  A  MASTER-KEY 

(to  the  best  of  my  memory,)  I  did  not  think  of  Gody 
nor  of  his  Mother  iVlary,  for  many  months  together. 

Conf.  Have  you  constantly  frequented  the  assem- 
bhes  of  the  faithful,  and  heard  Mass  on  Sundays, 
and  holy  days  ? 

Mary.  No  father  :  Sometimes  I  have  been  four 
months  without  going  to  church. 

Conf.  You  have  done  a  great  injury  to  your  soul, 
and  you  have  given  a  great  scandal  to  your  neigh- 
bours. 

Mary.  As  for  the  first,  I  own  it,  for  every  Sunday 
and  holy  day  I  went  out  in  the  morning,  and  in  so 
populous  a  city  they  could  not  know  the  church  I 
used  to  resort  to. 

Conf.  Did  it  come  into  your  mind  all  this  while, 
that  God  would  punish  you  for  all  your  sins  ? 

Mary.  Yea,  father :  but  the  Virgin  Mary  is  my 
advocate  ;  I  keep  her  image  by  my  bed-side,  and 
used  to  address  my  prayer  to  her,  every  night  be- 
fore I  went  to  bed,  and  I  always  had  a  great  hope  in 
"her. 

Conf.  If  your  devotion  to  the  Virgin  Mary  is  so 
fervent,  you  must  believe  that  your  heart  is  moved 
to  repentance  by  her  influence  and  mediation  ;  and 
I  charge  you  to  continue  the  same  devotion  v.hilc 
you  live,  and  fear  nothing  afterwards. 

Mary.  That  is  my  design. 

Conf.  Go  on. 

Mary.  The  second  commandment  is,  Thoxi  shalt 


TO  POPERY.  179 

not  s'd-ear  :  1  never  Avas  gviilty  of  swearing,  but  I 
have  a  custom  of  saying,  Such  a  thing  is  so,  as  sure 
as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  :  And  this  I  repeated 
very  often  every  day. 

Conf.  That  is  a  sinful  custom,  for  we  cannot 
swear,  nor  affirm  any  thing  by  heaven  or  earth,  as 
the  scriptures  tell  us  ;  and  less  by  Him  who  has  the 
throne  of  his  habitation  in  heaven  :  So  you  must 
break  off  that  custom,  or  else  you  commit  a  sin  ev- 
ery time  you  make  use  of  it.     Go  on. 

Mary.  The  third  is.  Thou  shalt  sanctify  the  holy 
days.  I  have  told  you  already,  my  spiritual  father, 
that  I  have  neglected,  some  time  to  go  to  Mass,  four 
months  together;  and,  to  the  best  of  my  memory., 
in  these  two  years  and  two  months,  I  have  missed 
sixty  Sundays  and  holy  days  going  to  Mass,  and  when 
I  did  go  my  mind  was  so  much  taken  up  with  other 
diversions,  that  I  did  not  mind  the  requisite  devo- 
tion, for  which  I  am  heartily  sorry. 

Conf.  I  hope  you  will  not  do  so  for  the  future. 
Go  on. 

Mary.  The  fourth  is.  Thou  shalt  honour  father 
and  mother.  I  have  father  and  mother  ;  as  to  my 
father,  I  do  love,  honour  and  fear  him  ;  as  to  my 
mother,  I  do  confess  that  I  have  answered  and  act- 
ed contrary  to  the  duty,  respect  and  reverence  due 
to  her,  for  her  suspecting  and  watching  my  actions 
and  false  steps,  and  giving  me  a  christian  correction, 
have  abused  her,  nay,  sometimes  I  have  lifted  up 


180  A  MASTER-KEY 

my  hand  to  threaten  her  ;  and  these  proceedings  ol 
mine  towards  my  good  mother,  torture  my  lieart. 

Conf.  I  am  glad  to  observe  your  grief,  and  you 
may  be  sure  God  will  forgive  you  these  and  other 
sins  upon  your  repentance,  if  you  persevere  in  it. 
Go  on. 

Mary.  The  fifth  is,  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  I  have 
not  transgressed  this  commandment  effectively  and 
immediately,  but  I  have  done  it  affectively  and  me- 
diately, and  at  second  hand  ;  for  a  gentlewoman, 
who  was  a  great  hindrance  to  my  designs,  once  pro- 
voked me  to  such  a  pitch,  that  I  put  in  execution 
all  the  means  of  revenge  I  could  think  of,  and 
gave  ten  pistoles  to  an  assassin  to  take  away  her 
life. 

Conf.  And  did  he  kill  her  ? 

Mary.  No,  father,  for  she  kept  her  house  for 
three  months,  and  in  that  time  we  were  reconciled, 
and  now  we  are  very  good  friends. 

Conf.  Have  you  asked  her  pardon,  and  told  her 
your  design  ? 

Mary.  I  did  not  tell  in  express  terms,  but  I  told 
her  that  I  had  an  ill  will  to  her,  and  that  at  that 
time  I  could  have  killed  her,  had  I  got  an  opportu- 
nity for  it :  for  which  1  heartily  begged  her  pardon  ; 
ghe  did  forgive  me,  and  so  we  live  ever  since  like 
two  sisters. 

Conf.  Go  on.' 

Mary.  The  sixth,  Thou  shall  not  commilfornica- 


TO  POPERy.  181 

Hon.  In  the  first  place  I  do  confess  I  have  unlaw- 
fully conversed  with  the  said  Don  Francisco,  my 
cousin,  for  two  years,  and  this  unlawful  commerce 
has  made  me  fall  into  many  other  sins. 

Conf.  Did  he  promise  solemnly  to  marry  you  ? 

Mart/.  He  did,  but  could  not  perform  it,  while 
his  father  was  alive. 

Conf.  Tell  me,  from  the  beginning,  to  the  day 
of  his  death,  and  to  the  best  of  your  memory, 
your  sinful  thoughts,  words,  actions,  nay,  your  very 
dreams,  about  this  matter. 

[Here  follows,  in  detail,  a  disclosure  of  a  cata- 
logue of  crimes  too  obscene,  too  corrupt,  and  too 
black,  to  be  recorded,  after  which  the  young  woman 
closes  by  saying,  I  have  nothing  more  to  confess  but 
in  general,  the  sins  of  my  whole  life,  and  for  all  of 
which  I  am  heartily  sorry.  The  confessor  theii 
absolves  her.] 

The  second.     A  private  confession  of  a  woman  to  a 

friar  of  the  dominican  order,  laid  dowyi  in  writing 

before  the  moral  academy. 
Leonore  did  confess  to  F.  Joseph  Riva  the  follow- 
ing misdoings. 

Leonore.  My  reverend  father,  I  come  to  this 
place  to  make  a  general  confession  of  all  the  sins  I 
have  committed  in  the  whole  course  of  my  life,  ov 
of  all  those  I  can  remember. 

Conf.  Begin  then  your  confession. 
16 


182  A  MASTER-KEY 

Leon,  I  have  neglected  my  duty  towards  God. 
1  have  mail)  times  sworn,  i  have  not  sanctified  his 
holy  days,  nor  honouicd  my  parents  and  superiors. 
I  have  many  times  desired  the' death  of  my  neigh- 
bours, when  in  a  passion.  I  have  been  deeply  en- 
gaged in  amorous  intrigues  with  many  people  of  all 
ranks,  but  these  two  years  past  most  constantly 
with  Don  Pedro  Hasta. 

As  for  the  sins  of  my  youth,  till  I  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  they  are  of  no  great  consequence. — 
When  I  fell  into  the  first  sin  it  was  in  the  following 
manner. 

The  confessor  of  our  family  was  a  Franciscan 
friar.  It  was  about  that  time  of  my  life  I  lost  my 
mother ;  and  a  month  after  her  my  father  died, 
leaving  all  his  substance  to  the  father  confessor,  to 
dispose  of  at  his  own  fancy,  reserving  only  a  certain 
part  which  I  was  to  have,  to  settle  me  in  the  world 
conditionally  that  if  I  was  obedient  to  him.  A 
month  after  my  father's  death,  on  pretence  of  tak- 
ing care  of  every  thing  that  was  in  the  house,  he 
ordered  a  bed  for  himself  in  the  chamber  next  to 
mine,  where  my  maid  also  used  to  lie.  After  sup- 
per, the  first  night  he  came  home,  he  addressed 
himself  thus  to  me.  My  daughter,  you  may  with 
reason  call  mc  your  father,  for  you  are  the  only 
child  your  father  left  under  my  care.  Your  patri- 
mony is  in  my  hands,  and  you  ought  to  obey  me 
blindly  in  every  thing  :    So  in  the  first  place  order 


TO  POPERY.  I8;i 

jour  maid's  bed  to  be  removed  out  of  your  own 
chamber  into  another.  Which  being  done  accor- 
dingly, we  parted  and  went  each  one  to  our  own 
room  ;  but  scarcely  had  an  hour  passed  away,  when 
the  father  came  into  my  chamber,  and  what  by  flat- 
tery and  pronuses,  and  what  by  threatnings,  he  de- 
prived me  of  my  best  patrimony,  my  innocence. 
We  continued  this  course  of  hfe  till,  as  I  believe, 
he  was  tired  of  me  ;  for,  two  months  after,  he  took 
every  thing  out  of  the  house,  and  went  to  his  con- 
vent, wlierc  he  died  in  ten  days  time  :  and  by  his 
death  I  lost  the  patrimony  left  me  by  my  father, 
and  with  it  all  my  support,  and  as  my  parents  had 
spared  nothing  in  my  education,  and  as  I  had  always 
been  kept  in  the  greatest  affluence,  you  may  judge 
how  I  was  airected  by  the  miserable  circumstances 
I  was  then  left  in.  My  condition  being  known  to 
an  ofKcer  of  the  army,  he  came  to  offer  me  his  ser- 
vices. I  complied  with  his  desire,  and  for  two  years 
we  lived  together,  till  at  last  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
pair to  his  regiment  at  Catalonia,  where  he  soon  af- 
ter died.  Then,  resolving  to  alter  my  life,  I  went 
to  confess,  and  after  having  given  an  account  to  my 
confessor  of  my  life,  he 'promised  to  come  next  day 
to  see  me,  and  I  waited  at  home  for  him. 

The  father  came,  and  after  various  discourses,  he 
took  me  by  the  hand  into  my  chamber,  and  told  me 
that  if  I  was  willing  to  put  in  his  hands  my  jewels, 
and  what  other  things  of  value  I  had  got  from  the 


184  A  MASTER-lCfiY 

©fRcer,  he  would  engage  to  get  a  gentleman  suita- 
ble to  my  condition  to  marry  me.  I  did  every  thing 
as  he  desired  me,  and  so  taking  along  with  him  all 
i  had  he  carried  them  to  his  cell. 

The  next  day  he  came  and  told  me  I  must  Com- 
ply with  his  desire,  or  else  he  would  expose  me,  and 
inform  against  me  before  the  holy  tribunal  of  the 
inquisition  :  rather  than  incur  that  danger,  I  did  for 
the  space  of  six  months,  and,  having  nothing  to 
live  upon  (for  he  kept  my  jewels)  I  was  obliged  to 
abandon  myself  to  many  other  gentlemen,  by  whom 
I  was  maintained. 

At  last  he  left  me,  and  I  still  continued  my  wick- 
ad  life,  unlawfully  conversing  with  married  and  un- 
married gentlemen  a  whole  year,  and  not  daring 
to  confess,  for  fear  of  experiencing  the  same  treat- 
ment from  another  confessor. 

I  stole  from  the  church  a  chalice,  by  the  advice 
of  the  said  confessor,  and  he  made  use  himself  of 
the  money  I  got  for  the  silver,  which  I  cut  in  pie- 
ces ;  and  I  did  converse  unlawfully  several  times 
in  church  with  him. 

Conf.  Give  me  leave  to  consult  upon  all  these 
things,  and  I  will  resolve  them  to  you  the  next  con- 
fession ;  now  go  in  peace. 

The  confession  being  laid  before  the  academy,  it 
was  resolved  that  the  proponent  could  safely  in 
conscience  absolve  Leonore  the  next  confession,  if 
she  had  the  bull  of  indulgencies  ;  and  promised  to 


TO  POPERY.  iSb 

be  zealous  in  the  correction  and  penance,  which  he 
Was  to  give  her,  &c.  Accordingly  Leonore  was 
absolved. 

The  third  private  confession  proposedin  the  academy, 
by  father  Gasca,  Jesuit,  and  member  of  the  acade- 
m,y  :  of  a  woman  of  thirty-three  years  of  age. 
Most  reverend  and  learned  fathers,  I  have  thought 
fit  not  to  trouble  you  with  the  methodical  v«ay  of 
private  confession  I  heard  last  Sunday,  but  to  give 
you  only  an  account  of  the  difficult  case  in  it.  The 
case  is  this  :  a  woman  of  thirty-three  years  of  age 
Came  to  confess,  and  told  me,  that  from  sixteen 
years  of  age,  till  twenty-four,  she  had  committed  all 
sorts  of  lewdness,  only  with  ecclesiastical  persons. 
having  in  every  convent  a  friar,  who,  under  the 
name  of  cousin,  used  to  visit  her  :  and  notwithstan- 
ding the  multiplicity  of  cousins,  she  lived  so  poor- 
ly, that  she  was  forced  to  turn  procuress  at  the  same 
time  for  new  cousins,  and  that  she  had  followed 
that  wicked  life  till  thirty-two  years  of  age  :  that 
last  year  she  dreamed  that  the  devil  was  very  free 
with  her,  and  these  dreams  continuing  for  a  long 
time,  she  found  herself  with  child  ;  and  she  protests 
that  she  knew  no  man  for  fourteen  months  before  ; 
she  is  delivered  of  a  boy,  and  she  says  that  he  i« 
the  devil's  son,  and  that  her  conscience  is  so  troub- 
led about  it,  that  if  I  do  not  find  some  way  to  quiet 
ber  mind,  she  will  lay  violent  hands  upon  herself. 
16* 


^ 


1  86  A  MASTER-KEY 

I  asked  her  leave  to  consult  the  case,  with  a  promise 
to  resolve  in  next  Sunday,  Now  I  ask  your  advice 
upon  this  case. 

A  member  said,  that  there  was  in  the  case  some- 
thing more  than  apparition  and  devilish  liberty,  and 
that  he  thought  fit  that  the  father  Jesuit  should  in- 
quire more  carefully  into  the  matter,  and  go  himself 
to  examine  the  house,  and  question  the  people  of  it. 
Which  being  approved  by  the  whole  assembly,  he 
did  it  the  next  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon,  being 
an  extraordinary  meeting,  he  came  and  said. 

That  the  woman  was  so  strongly  possessed  with 
such  a  vision,  that  she  has  made  public  the  case  a- 
mong  the  neighbours,  and  it  is  spread  abroad  ;  upon 
which  the  Inquisitors  sent  for  the  woman  and  the 
maid,  and  this  has  discovered  the  whole  story,  viz, 
that  father  Conchillos,  victorian  friar,  was  in  love 
with  a  woman,  but  she  could  not  endure  the  sight  of 
him  ;  That  he  gained  the  maid,  and  by  that  means 
he  got  into  the  house  every  night,  and  the  maid  put- 
ting some  opium  into  her  mistress's  supper  she  fell 
fast  asleep,  and  the  said  father  did  lie  with  her  six 
nights  together ;  so  the  child  is  not  the  son  of  the 
devil,  but  of  father  Conchillos. 

The  friar  was  put  into  the  inquisition,  for  having 
persuaded  the  maid  to  tell  her  mistress  that  it  was 
the  devil.  What  became  of  the  friar  I  do  not  know, 
this  I  do  aver,  that  I  spoke  with  the  woman  myself, 
and  witli  the  maid  ;  and  that  children  used  to  go  to 


TO  POPERY.  187 

her  door,  and  call  for  the  son  of  the  devil  •,  and  be- 
ing so  mocked,  she  left  the  city  a  few  days  after, 
and  we  were  told  that  she  lived  after  it  a  retired 
christian  life  in  the  country. 

The  fourth  prix  ate  confession  of  a  priest,  being  at  th*" 

point  of  death,  m    1710.     /  shall  call  kim   Don 

Paulo. 

I  have  served  my  parish  sixteen  years,  and  all  my 
care  has  been  to  discover  the  tempers  and  inclina- 
tions of  my  parishoners,  and  I  have  been  as  happy 
in  this  world  as  unhappy  before  my  Saviour.  I  have 
in  ready  money  fifteen  thousand  pistoles,  and  I  have 
given  away  more  than  six  thousand.  I  bad  no  pat- 
rimony, and  my  living  is  worth  but  four  hundred 
pistoles  a  year.  There  are  in  my  parish  sixteen 
hundred  families,  and  more  or  less  I  have  defrauded 
them  all. 

My  thoughts  have  been  impure  ever  since  I  began 
to  hear  confessions  ;  my  words  grave  and  severe 
with  them  all,  and  all  my  parishoners  have  respect- 
ed and  feared  me.  I  have  had  so  great  an  empire 
over  them,  that  some  of  them,  knowing  of  my  mis- 
doings, have  taken  my  defence  in  pubhc.  They 
have  had  in  me  a  solicitor  in  all  emergencies,  and 
I  have  omitted  nothing  to  please  them  in  outward 
appearance  ;  but  my  actions  have  been  the  most 
criminal  of  mankind ;  for  as  to  my  ecclesiastical 
duty,  what !  have  done  has  been  for  custom's  sake. 


18S  A  MASTER-KEY 

I  have  procured,  by  remedies,  sixty  abortions,  mak 
ing  the  fathers  of  the  children  their  murderers  ;  be- 
sides many  other  intended,  though  not  executed, 
by  some  unexpected  accident. 

As  to  the  sixth  commandment,  I  cannot  confess* 
by  particulars,  but  by  general  heads,  my  sins.  I 
confess,  in  the  first  place,  that  I  have  frequented 
the  parish  club  twelve  years.  We  were  only  six 
parish  priests  in  it ;  and  there  we  did  consult  and 
contrive  all  the  ways  to  satisfy  our  passions. — 
Each  one  had  a  list  of  the  handsomest  women  in 
his  parish ;  and  when  one  had  a  fancy  to  see  any 
woman,  remarkable  for  her  beauty,  in  another's 
parish,  the  priest  of  her  parish  sent  for  her  to  his 
own  house ;  and  having  prepared  the  way  for 
wickedness,  the  other  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  meet 
her  there,  and  fullil  his  desires  ;  and  so  we  have 
served  one  another  these  twelve  years  past.  Our 
method  has  been  to  persuade  the  husbands  and  fa- 
thers not  to  hinder  them  any  spiritual  comfort ;  and 
to  the  ladies  to  persuade  them  to  be  subject  to  our 
advice  and  will ;  and  that  in  so  doing,  they  should 
have  liberty  at  any  time  to  go  out  on  pretence  of 
communicating  some  spiritual  business  to  the  priest* 

I  have  Sjjared  no  woman  of  my  parish,  whom  I 
had  a  fancy  for,  and  many  other  of  my  brethren's 
parishes  ;  but  I  cannot  tell  the  number.  I  have 
sixty  ucpclLf  alive,  of  several  women  :  But  my 
principal  care  ought  to  be  of  those  that  I  have  by 


TO  POPERY.  189 

the  two  joung  women  I  keep  at  home  since  their 
parents  died.  Both  are  sisters,  and  I  have  by  the 
eldest  two  boys,  and  by  the  youngest  one  ;  and  one 
which  I  had  by  own  sister  is  dead.  Therefore  I 
leave  to  my  sister  five  thousand  pistoles^  upon  con- 
dition that  she  would  enter  nun  in  St.  Bernard's 
monastery ;  and  upon  the  same  condition  I  leave 
two  thousand  pistoles  a  piece  to  the  two  young  wo- 
men ;  and  the  remainder  I  leave  to  my  three  nepotes 
under  the  care  of  Mossen  John  Peralta.  Now  I 
ask  your  penance  and  absolution  for  all  the  sins  re- 
served in  all  the  bulls,  from  the  first  Pope  ;  for 
which  purpose  I  have  taken  the  bull  of  privileges 
in  such  cases  as  mine — so  I  did  absolve  him,  and  as- 
sist him  afterwards,  and  he  died  the  next  day. 

Hear,  O  heaven !  Give  ear,  O  earth !  And  be 
horribly  astonished !  to  see  that  those  who  are  to 
guide  the  people,  and  put  the  flock  in  the  way  of 
salvation,  are  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing  that  devour 
them,  and  put  them  into  the  way  of  damnation. — 
O  God,  open  the  eyes  of  the  ignorant  people,  that 
they  may  see  the  injuries  done  to  their  souls  by 
their  own  guides. 

There  are  some  confessors  however  who,  accor- 
ding to  the  principles  of  their  religion,  discharge 
their  duty  with  exactness  and  purity,  and  whose 
lives,  in  their  own  way  are  unblamable,  and  with- 
out reproach  among  men. 

They  live  poorly,  because  whatever  they  have, 


190'  A  MASTER-KEY 

the  poor  are  enjoyers  of  it.  The  time  they  give  to 
the  public  is  but  very  little,  and  not  every  day  ;  and 
then  whatever  counsels  they  give  are  right,  sincere, 
without  flattery  or  interest.  All  pious,  religious 
person  solicit  their  acquaintance  and  conversation, 
but  they  avoid  all  pomp  and  vanity.  Sometimes 
you  may  find  them  in  the  hospitals  among  the  poor, 
sick,  helping  and  exhorting  them  :  but  they  go  there 
most  commonly  in  the  night,  for  what  they  do,  they 
do  not  out  of  pride,  but  humility. 

Before  I  begin  with  the  fifth  confession,  it  will  not  be 
improper  to  give  an  account  of  the  custojns  of  the 
nuns,  and  places  of  their  confessions. 

By  the  constitutions  of  their  order,  so  many  days 
are  appointed,  in  which  all  the  nuns  are  obliged  to 
confess,  from  the  mother  abbess  to  the  very  wheel- 
er, i.  e.  the  nun  that  turns  the  wheel  near  the  door, 
through  which  they  give  and  receive  every  thing 
they  want.  They  have  a  father  confessor,  and  a 
father  companion,  who  hve  next  to  the  convent' 
and  have  a  small  grate  in  the  wall  of  their  chamber, 
which  answers  to  the  upper  cloister  or  gallery  of 
the  convent.  The  confessor  has  care  of  the  souls  ., 
of  the  convent,  and  he  is  obliged  to  say  mass  every 
day,  hear  confessions,  administer  the  sacraments, 
and  visit  the  sick  nuns.  There  are  several  narrow 
closets  ill  the  church,  with  a  small  iron  grate  :  One 


TO  POPERY.  191 

side  answers  to  the  cloister,  and  the  other  to  the 
church.  So  the  nun  being  on  the  inside,  and  the 
confessor  on  the  outside,  they  hear  one  another. 
There  is  a  large  grate  facing  the  great  altar,  and  the 
holes  of  it  are  a  quarter  of  a  yard  square,  but  that 
grate  is  double,  and  the  distance  between  both  more 
than  half  a  yard  ;  besides  these,  there  is  a  grate  for 
relations  and  benefactors  of  the  community,  which 
grate  is  single  and  consists  of  very  thin  iron  bars : 
The  holes  of  such  a  grate  are  near  a  quarter  and  a 
half  square. 

The  nuns  father  confessor,  has  but  little  trouble 
with  the  young  nuns,  for  they  generally  send  for  a 
confessor  who  is  a  stranger  to  them,  so  that  all  his 
trouble  is  with  the  old  ones,  who  keep  the  poor  man 
more  than  two  hours  at  the  grate,  relating  things  of 
no  consequence. 

Many  gentlemen  send  their  daughters  to  the  nun- 
nery when  they  are  some  five,  some  six,  some  eight 
years  old,  under  the  care  of  some  nun  of  their  ac- 
quaintance, and  there  they  are  educated  till  they  are 
fifteen  years  old.  The  tutress  takes  great  care  not 
to  let  them  go  to  the  grate,  nor  converse  with  men 
all  the  while,  to  prevent  in  them  the  knowledge  and 
love  of  the  world.  They  are  caressed  by  all  the 
nuns,  and  thinking  it  will  be  always  so,  are  very  well 
pleased  with  their  confinement.  They  have  only 
liberty  to  go  to  the  grate  to  their  parents  or  rela- 
tions, and  are  always  accompanied  by  the  old  mo- 


192  A  MASTER-KEY 

ther  tutress,  and  when  they  are  fifteen,  which  is  the 
age  fixed  by  the  constitutions  of  all  the  orders,  they 
receive  the  habit  of  a  nun,  and  begin  the  year  of 
noviciate,  which  is  the  year  of  trial  to  see  whether 
they  can  go  through  all  the  hardships,  fastings,  dis- 
ciplines, prayers,  hours  of  divine  service,  obedience, 
poverty,  chastity,  and  penances  practised  in  the 
monastery  :  But  the  prioress  or  abbess,  and  the  rest 
of  the  professed  nuns,  dispense  with,  and  excuse  the 
novices  from  all  the  severities,  for  fear  that  the  no- 
vices should  be  dissatisfied  with,  and  leave  the  con- 
vent. Thus  the  novices,  flattered  tn  the  year  of 
noviciate,  and  thinking  they  will  be  so  all  their  life 
time,  when  the  year  is  expired,  make  profession  and 
swear  to  observe  chastity  obedience,  and  poverty, 
during  their  lives,  and  clausura,  i.  e.  confinement  : 
obliging  themselves,  by  it,  never  to  go  out  of  the 
monastery. 

After  the  profession  is  made,  they  begin  to  feel 
the  severity  and  hardships  of  the  monastical  life  ; 
for  one  is  made  a  door-keeper,  another  turner  of  the 
wheel,  to  receive  and  deliver  by  it  all  the  nun's 
messages,  another  bell  nun,  that  is  to  call  the  nuns 
when  any  one  comes  to  visit  them  ;  another  baker, 
another  book-keeper  of  all  the  rents  and  expenses, 
and  the  like  ;  and  in  the  performance  of  all  these 
employments,  they  must  expend  much  of  their  own 
money.  After  this  they  have  liberty  to  go  to  the 
jjrate,  and  talk  with  gentlemen,  priests  and  friars, 


TO  POPERY.  I9ii 

who  only  go  there  as  a  gallant  goes  to  see  his  mis- 
tress. So  when  the  young  nuns  begin  to  have  a  no- 
tion of  the  pleasures  of  the  world,  and  how  they 
have  been  deceived,  they  are  heartily  sorry,  but 
too  late  for  there  is  no  remedy.  And  minding  noth- 
ing but  to  satisfy  their  passions  as  well  as  they  can, 
they  abandon  themselves  to  all  sorts  ot  wickedness, 
and  amorous  intrigues. 

There  is  another  sort  of  nuns,  whom  the  people 
call  las  forcadas,  the  forced  nuns,  i.  e.  those  who 
have  made  a  false  step  in  the  world,  and  cannot  find 
husbands,  on  account  of  their  crimes  being  public, 
Thost  are  despised  and  ill  used  by  their  parents 
and  relations,  till  they  choose  to  go  to  the  nunnery: 
So  by  this  it  is  easily  known  Avhat  sort  of  nuns  they 
will  make. 

/  now  come  to  the  private  confession  ;  and  I  could 
wish  to  find  language  to  express  it  myself ,  with  pu- 
rity and  modesty. 

Mtn.  I  am  the  only  daughter  of  councillor  N.  E. 
I  was  not  quite  thirteen  years  of  age,  when  a  gentle- 
man of  quality,  though  not  very  rich,  began  his  love 
to  me,  by  letters  which  he  (gaining  my  writing-mas- 
ter) sent  to  me  by  him.  There  was  nothing  in  the 
world  so  obliging,  civil,  modest  and  endearing,  as 
his  expressions  seemed  to  me,  and  at  last  having 
the  opportunity  of  meeting  him  at  the  house  of  one 
17 


194  A  MASTER-KEY 

of  my  aunts,  his  person  and  conversation  so  charna- 
ed  my  heart,  that  a  few  days  after  we  passed  recip- 
rocal promises  of  an  eternal  union  :  But  by  a  letter 
which  unfortunately  was  misscarried,  and  fell  into 
my  father's  hands,  our  honest  designs  were  discover- 
ed ;  and  without  telling  me  any  thing,  he  went  to 
see  the  gentleman,  and  spoke  to  him  in  this  man- 
ner: Sir,  my  daughter,  in  discharge  of  her  duty  to 
so  good  a  father,  has  communicated  to  me  your 
honourable  design,  and  I  come  to  thank  you  for  the 
honour  you  are  pleased  to  do  my  family  :  But,  be- 
ing so  young,  we  think  proper  to  put  off  the  per- 
formance of  it,  till  she  is  fifteen  years  of  age  ;  and 
to  show  you  my  great  affection,  I  offer  you  a  cap- 
tain's commission  in  the  regiment  that  the  city  is 
to  raise  for  the  king,  and  advise  you  to  serve  two 
years,  and  afterwards  you  may  accomphsh  your  de- 
sire. "The  gentleman  accepted  it,  and  the  next 
day  the  commission  was  signed  and  delivered  to 
him,  with  an  order  to  go  to  Catalonia.  At  the 
same  time  the  writing  master  was  sent  out  of  the 
town  under  pretence  of  receiving  some  money  for 
my  father ;  and  I  was  kept  close  at  home,  so  he 
could  not  get  an  opportunity  of  seeing  or  writing  to 
me  ;  for  my  father  told  him  I  was  sick  in  bed.  As 
soon  as  he  left  the  town,  my  father  told  me  that  he 
was  dead,  and  that  I  must  retire  myself  into  the 
nunnery.  He  spared  nothing  to  please  me,  until 
received*  the  habit,  and  made  the  profession  and 


TO  POPERY.  195 

VOWS  of  a  monastical  life  :  after  which  he  told  me 
the  whole  story  himself;  and  the  gentleman  was 
killed  in  Catalonia  the  first  campaign. 

Ever  since,  I  have  not  cared  what  should  become 
of  me,  and  have  abandoned  myself  to  all  the  sins  I 
have  been  capable  of  committing.  Myself  and  ten 
others  have  our  devotos,  and  there  is  nothing  thai 
we  do  not  invent  for  the  accomplishment  of  our 
pleasures. 

One  of  them  has  a  friar  her  devoto,  a  beautiful 
young  man,  and  we  contrived  and  agreed  together 
to  bring  him  into  the  convent,  as  we  did,  and  have 
kept  him  twenty  two  days  in  our  chamber.  This  is 
the  greatest  sin  I  have  committed  with  man. 

Conf.  Pray,  tell  me,  how  could  you  let  him  in 
without  scandal  ? 

Nan.  One  of  the  assembly  contrived  to  mat  all 
the  floor  of  her  chamber,  and  sent  for  the  mat-ma- 
ker to  take  the  measure  of  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  room,  and  to  make  it  one  piece,  and  send  it 
to  the  Sexton's  chamber,  who  is  a  poor  ignorant 
fellow.  When  the  mat  was  there,  and  the  man 
paid  for  it,  one  day  in  the  evening,  we  sent  the  Sex- 
ton on  several  messages,  and  kept  the  key  of  his 
room.  The  friar  had  asked  leave  of  his  prior  to 
go  into  the  country  for  a  month's  time,  and  disgui- 
sing himself  in  a  layman's  habit,  feeing  well  two 
porters,  came,  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  into  the 
Sexton's  room,  and  rolling  up  himself  in  the  mat 


J96  A  MASTER-KEt 

the  porters  brought  the  mat  to  the  door,  where  we 
were  waiting  for  it ;  and  taking  it,  we  carried  it  up 
to  one  of  our  chambers.  We  were  afraid  that  the 
porters  would  discover  the  thing,  but  by  money 
we  have  secured  ourselves  from  them  ;  for  we  hir- 
ed ruffians  to  make  way  with  them.  We  put  him 
out  of  the  convent  in  a  great  chest  which  could  be 
opened  on  the  inside,  and  of  which  he  had  the  key, 
and  giving  the  chest  to  the  Sexton,  he,  and  the  ser- 
vant of  the  convent,  carried  it  into  the  Sexton's 
room.  We  ordered  him  to  leave  the  key  at  the 
door,  for  we  expected  some  relations,  which  were 
to  take  a  collation  there  ;  and  we  sent  him  on  some 
errand  till  the  friar  had  got  out  of  the  chest  and  of 
danger. 

A  month  after,  three  of  our  friends  began  to  per- 
ceive the  condition  they  were  in,  and  left  the  con- 
vent in  one  night,  and  we  do  not  know  what  has 
become  of  them  ;  as  for  me,  I  design  to  do  the 
same,  for  I  am  under  the  same  apprehension  and 
fear. 

I  am  sure,  in  my  conscience,  that  I  am  not  a  nun 
of  intention.  I  did  promise  to  keep  obedience,  chas- 
lity^  poverty,  dnid  perpetuity,  but  I  shall  not  incur  the 
crime  of  apostacy,  in  leaving  the  convent  ;  and  if  I 
continue  in  it,  I  am  fully  resolved  to  prevent  my  ru- 
in and  death,  by  a  strong  operating  remedy. 

It  was  resolved,  that  the  confessor,  first  of  all,  was 
to  absolve  the  penitent,  having  a  bull  of  crusade^ 


10  POPERY.  ^        197 

and  extra  confessionem,  or  out  of  confegsion  give, 
as  a  private  person,  advice  to  the  penitent  to  quit 
the  convent,  and  take  a  certificate.  Wherein  the 
penitent  was  to  specify,  that  the  confessor  had  giv- 
en such  advice  extra  actum  confessionis.  Accor- 
dingly Monday  following,  I  went  to  the  nun  and 
performed  what  was  resolved  ;  and  that  very  same 
week,  we  heard  in  the  city  that  such  a  nun  had 
made  her  escape  out  of  the  convent. 

In  the  year  1706,  F.  Antonio  Gallardo,  Augustin 
friar,  murdered  Dona  Issabella  Mendez,  and  a  child 
three  weeks  old  sucking  at  her  breast.  The  lady 
was  but  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  had  been 
married  eightyears  to  Don  Francisco  Mendez.  The 
friar  had  been  her  spiritual  guide  all  that  while,  and 
all  the  family^had  so  great  a  respect  and  esteem  for 
him,  that  he  was  the  absolute  master  of  the  house. 
The  lady  was  brought  to  bed,  and  Don  Francisco 
being  obliged  to  go  into  the  country  for  four  days, 
desired  the  father  to  come  and  lie  in  his  house,  and 
take  care  of  it  in  his  absence.  The  father's  room 
was  always  ready  :  so  he  went  there  the  same  day 
D(^  Francisco  went  into  the  country.  At  eight  at 
night,  both  the  father  and  the  lady  went  to  supper, 
and  after  he  sent  all  the  maids  and  servants  into  the 
hall  to  sup,  the  lady  took  the  child  to  give  him  suck, 
and  the  friar  told  her,  in  plain  and  short  reasons,  his 
love,  and  that  without  any  reply  or  delay,  she  must 
<:omply  with  his  request.  The  lady  said  to  him,  fa- 
17* 


iO-iJ    ^  A  MASTER-KEY 

w 

ther,  if  you  propose  such  a  thing  to  try  my  faithful- 
ness and  Virtue,  you  have  known  my  conscience 
these  eight  years  past  ;  and  if  you  have  any  ill  de- 
sign; I  will  call  my  family  to  prevent  your  further 
assurance.  The  fr  iar  then  in  a  fury,  taking  a  knife, 
killed  the  child,  and  wounded  so  deeply  the  mother, 
that  she  died  two  hours  after.  The  friar  made  his 
escape  ;  but  whether  he  went  to  his  convent  or  not, 
we  did  not  hear.  I  myself  saw  the  lady  dead,  and 
went  to  her  burial  in  the  church  of  the  old  St.  John. 
In  the  city  of  Saragossa,  near  the  college  of  St. 
Thomas  of  Villaneuva,  lived  Mary  Guerrero,  mar- 
ried to  a  taylor  ;  she  was  handsome  and  ambitious  ; 
but  as  the  rank  of  a  taylor' s  wife  could  not  make 
her  shine  among  the  quality,  she  undertook  the  life 
of  a  Beata,  (or  blessed  woman)  to  be  known  by  it  in 
the  city.  The  first  step  she  was  to  make  was  to 
choose  a  confessor  of  good  parts,  and  of  a  good  rep- 
utation among  the  nobility  ;  so  she  pitched  upon 
the  reverend  Father  Fr.  Michael  Navarro,  a  Do- 
minican friar,  who  was  a  D.  D.  and  a  man  univer- 
sally well  beloved  for  his  doctrine  and  good  be^ 
haviour.  She  began  to  confess  to  him,  and  in  less 
than  a  year,  by  her  feigned  modesty,  and  hypocri- 
tical airs  ;  and  by  confessing  no  sins,  but  the  reU- 
gious  exercises  of  her  life  •,  the  reverend  father  be- 
gan to  publish  in  the  city  her  sanctity  to  the  highest 
pitch.  Many  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  first  rank, 
^€s»rous  to  see  the  new  saint,  sent  for  her,  but  she 


TO  POPERY.  109 

did  not  appear,  but  by  her  maid  gave  a  denial  to  all. 
This  was  a  new  addition  to  the  fame  of  her  sanctity, 
and  a  new  incitement  to  the  ladies  to  see  her.  Sa 
some,  going  to  visit  father  Navarro,  desired  the  fa- 
vor of  him  to  go  with  them  to  the  blessed  Guerrero  ; 
but  the  father  answered  that  he  could  do  no  such 
a  thing,  for,  knowing  her  virtue,  modesty,  and  aver- 
sion to  any  act  of  vanity,  he  should  be  very  much 
in  the  wrong  to  give  her  opportunities  of  cooling 
her  fervent  zeal  and  purity. 

The  father  charged  her  husband  to  quit  the  house, 
and  never  appear  before  his  wife  ;  for  his  sight 
would  be  a  great  hindrance  to  his  wite's  sanctity 
and  purity  ;  and  the  poor  sot,  believing  every  thing, 
went  away  and  took  a  lodging  for  himself  and  ap- 
prentice. 

They  continued  this  way  of  living,  both  she  and 
the  Father,  a  whole  year  ;  but  the  fatigue  of  going 
every  day  to  say  mass  and  confess  the  blessed,  being 
too  great  for  the  reverend,  he  asked  leave  from  the 
reverend  father  Buenacasa,  then  prior  of  the  con- 
vent, to  go  and  live  with  her  as  a  spiritual  guide. 
— The  prior,  foreseeing  some  great  advantage,  gave 
him  leave,  and  so  he  went  to  be  her  lodger  and 
master  of  the  house.  When  the  father  was  in  the 
house,  he  began  by  degrees  to  give  permission  to 
the  people  now  and  then  to  see  the  blessed,  through 
the  glass  of  a  little  window,  desiring  them  not  to 
make  a  noise,  for  fear  of  disturbing  the  blessed  m 


200  A  MASTER-KEY 

her  exercise  of  devotion.  She  was  in  her  own 
room  always  upon  her  knees,  when  some  people 
were  to  see  her  through  the  glass,  which  was  in  the 
wall  between  her  room,  and  that  of  the  reverend. 
In  a  few  months  after,  the  archbishop  went  to  see 
her,  and  conversed  with  her,  and  the  father  Navar- 
ro, who  was  in  great  friendship  with,  and  much 
honoured  by  his  grace.  This  example  of  the  pre- 
late put  the  nobility  in  mind  to  do  the  same.  The 
viceroy  not  being  permitted  by  his  royal  represen- 
tation to  go  to  her,  sent  his  coach  one  night  for  her, 
and  both  the  father  and  the  blessed  had  the  honour 
to  sup  in  private  with  his  Excellency.  This  being 
spread  abroad,  she  was  troubled  every  day  with 
coaches,  and  presents  from  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  people.  Many  sick  went  there  in  hopes  to  be 
healed  by  her  sight.  Thus  they  continued  for  the 
space  of  two  years,  and  all  this  while  the  reverend 
was  writing  the  life  of  the  blessed  ;  and  many  times 
he  was  pressed  to  print  part  of  her  life  ;  but  the 
time  of  the  discovery  of  their  wickedness  being 
come,  they  were  taken  by  an  order  from  the  holy 
inquisition. 

The  discovery  happened  thus.  Ann  Moron,  a 
surgeon's  wife,  who  lived  next  door  to  the  blessed, 
had  a  child  of  ten  months  old,  and,  as  a  neighbour, 
she  went  to  desire  the  reverend  to  beg  of  the  bless- 
ed to  take  the  child  and  kiss  him,  thinking,  that  by 
such  an  holy  kiss,  her  child  would  be  happy  forev 


TO  POPERY.  204 

er.  But  the  reverend  desiring  her  to  go  herself 
and  make  the  request  to  the  blessed,  she  did  it  ac- 
cordingly. Mary  Guerrero  took  the  child  and  bid 
the  mother  leave  him  with  her  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  Ann  Moron  then  thought  that  her  child  was 
already  in  heaven  ;  but  when  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  after,  she  came  again  for  the  child,  the  bless- 
ed informed  her,  that  her  child  was  to  die  the  night 
following,  for  so  God  had  revealed  to  her  in  a  short 
prayer  she  made  for  the  child.  The  child  really 
died  the  night  following,  but  the  surgeon,  as  a  ten- 
der father,  seeing  some  spots  and  marks  in  his 
child's  body,  opened  it,  and  found  in  it  the  cause  of 
its  unfortunate  death,  which  was  a  dose  of  poison. 
Upon  this  suspicion  of  the  child's  being  poisoned, 
and  the  foretelling  his  death  by  the  blessed,  the  fa- 
ther went  to  the  inquisitors,  and  told  the  nature  of 
the  thing.  The  inquisitor  went  to  examine  the 
thing,  and  seeing  the  child  dead,  and  the  circum- 
stances against  the  blessed  he  ordered  that  she  and 
the  reverend,  and  all  the  domestic  servants,  should 
be  secured  immediately,  apd  sent  to  the  holy  inqui- 
sition. All  things  were  done  accordingly,  and  this 
sudden  and  unexpected  accident  made  such  a  noise 
in  town,  that  every  one  reasoned  in  his  own  way, 
but  nobody  dared  to  speak  of  the  inquisitor.  At 
the  same  time  every  thing  in  the  house  was  seiz- 
ed upon,  with  the  papers  of  the  reverend,  fcc.  Af- 
<er  the  examination  was  made,  the  inquisitors  sura- 


202  A  MASTER-KEY 

moned  two  priests  out  of  every  parish  church,  and 
two  friars  out  of  every  convent,  to  come  such  a  day 
to  the  hall  of  the  holy  tribunal  to  be  present  at  their 
trial  and  examinations.  It  was  my  turn  to  go  to 
that  trial  for  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator. 
We  went  the  day  appointed,  all  the  summoned 
priests  and  friars,  to  the  number  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty,  besides  these  inquisitors,  officers  of  the  inqui- 
sition, and  qualificators.  The  signal  being  made  to 
bring  the  prisoners  to  the  bar,  they  came  out  of  the 
prison,  and  kneeling  down  before  the  holy  fathers, 
the  secretary  began  to  read  the  articles  of  the  ex- 
aminations and  convictions  of  their  crimes. 

Indeed  both  the  father  and  the  blessed  appeared 
that  day  very  much  like  saints,  if  we  will  believe 
the  Roman's  proverb,  that  paleness  and  thin  visage 
is  a  sign  of  sanctity.     I  heard  the  following  articles. 

That  by  the  hlessedPs  confession  to  Michael  Na- 
varro, this  in  the  beginning  of  her  life  says  :  1st. 
That  blessed  creature  knew  no  sin  since  she  was 
born  into  the  world.  2d.  She  has  been  several 
times  visited  by  the  angels  in  her  closet ;  and  Jesus 
Christ  himself  has  come  down  thrice  to  give  her 
new  heavenly  instructions.  3d.  She  was  advised 
by  the  divine  spouse  to  hve  separately  from  her  hus- 
band. 4th.  She  was  once  favoured  with  a  visit  of 
the  holy  trinity,  and  then  she  saw  Jesus  at  the  left 
hand  of  the  father.  5th.  The  holy  dove  came  af- 
terwards and  sat  upon  her  head  many  times,     Glh. 


TO  POPERY.  203 

This  holy  comforter  has  foretold  her,  that  her  body 
after  her  death  shall  be  always  incorruptible,  and 
that  a  great  king,  with  the  news  of  her  death,  shall 
come  to  honour  her  sepulchre  with  this  motto. 
The  soul  of  this  warrior  is  the  glory  of  my  kingdom. 
7th.  Jesus  Christ  in  a  Dominican's  habit  appeared 
to  her  at  night,  and  in  a  celestial  dream  she  was  ov- 
ershadowed by  the  spirit.  8th.  She  had  taken  out 
of  purgatory  seven  times  the  soul  of  his  compan- 
ion's sister.  9th.  The  pope  and  the  whole  church 
shall  rejoice  in  her  death  ;  nay,  his  holiness  shall 
canonize  her,  and  put  her  in  the  Litany  before  the 
apostles,  &c.  After  these  things  her  private  mira- 
cles were  read,  and  so  many  passages  of  her  life  that 
it  would  be  too  tedious  to  give  an  account  of  them. 
I  only  write  these,  to  shew  the  stupidity  of  the  rev- 
erend Naverro,  who,  if  he  had  been  in  his  perfect 
senses,  could  not  have  committed  so  gross  an  er- 
ror. The  ^uth  is,  the  blessed  was  not  overshad- 
owed by  the  spirit,  but  by  her  confessor ;  she  be- 
ing at  that  time  with  child,  and  dehvered  in  the  in- 
quisition. 

Their  sentences  were  not  read  in  public,  and  what 
was  their  end  we  know  not ;  only  we  heard,  that  the 
husband  of  the  blessed  had  notice  given  to  him  by 
an  officer  of  the  holy  office,  that  he  was  at  liberty  td 
marry  again. 

There  is  another  sort  of  beatas,  whom  we  call 
demoniacks.     They  make  their  husbands  believe 


204  A  MASTER-KEY 

that  a  witch  has  given  them  the  evil  spirit,  and  the^ 
make  such  unusual  gestures,  both  with  their  faces 
and  mouths,  that  it  is  enough  to  make  the  world 
laugh  only  at  the  sight  of  them.  The  poor  decei- 
ved husbands,  send  for  a  physician  ;  but  he  has  no 
remedy  for  such  a  distemper,  and  says  that  physic 
knows  no  manner  of  devil.  He  then  sends  the  hus- 
band to  the  spiritual  physician  ;  and  by  that  means 
they  are  out  of  a  good  design,  procures  for  their 
own  wives.  Then  the  father  makes  him  under- 
stand that  the  thing  is  very  troublesome,  and  that  if 
the  devil  is  obstinate  and  positive,  he  cannot  leave 
his  wife  in  three  or  four  nights  ;  and  may  be  in  a 
month  or  two ;  by  which  we  must  neglect  other 
business  of  honour  and  profit.  To  this  the  deluded 
husband  promises  that  his  trouble  shall  be  well  re- 
compensed, and  puts  a  piece  of  gold  into  his  hand  to 
make  him  easy  ;  so  he  pays  before  hand  for  his  fu- 
ture dishonour.  Sometimes  the  devil  is  very  tim- 
orous and  leaves  the  creature  immediately  easy  : 
sometimes  he  is  obstinate,  and  will  rest  a  long  while 
before  he  obeys  the  exorcisms  of  the  church  ;  but 
at  last  he  retires  himself  into  his  own  habitation,  and 
frees  the  creature  from  his  torments.  A  while  af- 
ter, the  wife,  on  pretence  that  the  evil  spirit  begins 
again  to  trouble  her,  goes  into  her  chamber  and 
desireth  the  father  to  hear  her  confession.  These 
private  confessions  and  exercises  of  devotion  con- 
tinue for  several  months  together,  and  the  husband. 


TO  POPERY.  205 

loth  to  go  -to  bed  with  his  wife,  for  fear  of  the  evil 
spirit,  goes  to  another  chamber,  and  the  father  hes 
in  the  same  room  with  his  wife  on  a  field-bed,  to  be 
always  ready,  when  the  malignant  spirit  comes,  to 
exorcise,  and  beat  him  with  the  holy  Stola.  So 
deeply  ignorant  are  the  people  in  that  part  of  the 
world,  or  so  great  bigots,  that  on  pretence  of  reli- 
gious remedies  to  cure  their  wives  of  the  devilish 
distemper,  they  contract  a  wor'^e  distemper  of  their 
heads  and  honours,  which  no  physician,  either  spi- 
ritual or  corporal,  can  ever  cure. 

The  pope  and  councils  are  the  original  cause? 
of  the  aforesaid  misdoings  and  ill  practices  of  the 
Romish  priests  ;  marriage  being  forbidden  to  a 
priest,  not  by  any  commandment  of  God  or  divine 
scripture,  but  by  a  strict  ordinancce  from  the  pope, 
an  indisputable  canon  of  the  council.  This  was 
not  practised  by  them  for  many  centuries  after  the 
death  of  our  Saviour ;  and  the  priests  were  then 
more  religious  and  exemplary  than  they  are  now. 
I  know  the  reasons  their  church  have  for  it,  which 
I  will  not  contradict,  to  avoid  all  sort  of  controver- 
sy :  but  this  I  may  say,  that  if  the  priests,  friars  and 
nuns  were  at  lawful  liberty  to  marry,  they  would  be 
better  christians,  the  people  richer  in  honour  and 
estate,  the  kingdom  better  peopled,  the  king  strong- 
er, and  the  Romish  religion  more  free  from  foreign 
attempts  and  calumnies. 

They  make  a  vow  of  chastity,  and  they  break 
18 


206  A  HJASTER-KEY 

it  by  living  loose,  lewd,  and  irregular  lives.  They 
vow  poverty,  and  their  thirst  for  riches  is  unquench- 
able, and  whatever  they  get  is  most  commonly  by 
unlawful  means.  They  swear  obedience,  and  they 
only  obey  their  lusts,  passions  and  inclination. — 
How  many  sins  are  occasioned  by  binding  them- 
selves with  thpse  three  vows  in  a  monastical  life  ? 
It  is  inexpressible,  and  all,  or  the  greater  number 
of  sins  committed  by  them,  would  be  hindered,  if 
the  pope  and  council  were  to  imitate  the  right 
foundations  of  the  primitive  church,  and  the  apos- 
tles of  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour. 

As  to  particular  persons,  among  the  priests  and 
friars,  touching  their  corruptions  and  ill  practces  in 
auricular  confession,  they  act  against  divine  and  hu- 
man law,  and  are  guilty  of  many  sins,  esdecially 
sacrilege  and  robery.  It  is  true  the  moral  Sums 
arc  defective  in  the  instruction  of  confessors,  as 
opinions,  grounded  in  the  erroneous  principles  of 
their  church.  But  as  to  the  settled  rules  for  the 
guiding  and  advising  the  penitent  to  walk  upright- 
ly, they  are  not  defective  :  the  confessors  cannot 
therefore  plead  ignorance  for  so  doing,  and  conse- 
quently the  means  they  make  use  of  in  the  tribunal 
of  conscience,  are  &11  sinful,  being  only  to  deceive 
and  cheat  the  poor,  ignorant  people. 

Again  :  Though  most  commonly,  Quodcumque  li, 
gaveris  super  terrain,  erit  ligalum  <$/•  in  ccelis,  (what- 
ever thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  hea- 


TO  POPERY. 


207 


veil)  is  understood  by  them  literally,  and  the  Pope 
usurps  the  power  of  absolving  men  Avithout  contri- 
tion, provided  they  have  attrition,  or  only  confes- 
sion by  mouth.  Nevertheless  the  causists  when 
they  come  to  treat  of  a  perfect  confession  under 
the  sacrament  of  penance,  unanimously  say,  that 
three  things  are  absolutely  necessary  to  a  perfect 
confession,  and  to  salvation  too,  viz.  Oris  confessio, 
cordis  contritio,  and  operis  satisfactio.  Though  at 
the  same  time  they  say,  except  in  case  of  pontifi- 
cal dispensation  with  faculties,  privileges,  indulgen- 
cies,  and  pardon  of  all  sins  committed  by  a  man. 
But  though  they  except  this  case,  I  am  sure  they 
do  it  out  of  obedience  and  flattery,  rather  than  their 
own  belief.  If  they  then  believe,  that  without  con-' 
trition  of  heart,  the  absolution  is  of  no  eflfect,  why 
do  they  persuade  the  contrary  to  the  penitent? 
Why  do  they  take  money  for  absolution  ?  It  is,  then 
a  cheat,  robbery  and  sacrilege. 

If  a  nobleman  of  a  good  estate  be  very  ill,  the  con- 
fessor must  be  by  him  night  and  day,  and  when  he 
goes  to  sleep  his  companion  supplies  his  place  to 
direct,  and  exhort  the  sick  to  die  as  a  good  chris- 
tian, and  to  advise  him  how  to  make  his  last  will 
and  testament.  If  the  confessor  is  a  downright 
honest  man,  he  must  betray  his  principles  of  hones- 
ty or  disoblige  his  superior,  by  getting  nothing  from 
the  sick  ;  so  he  charges  upon  the  poor  man's  con- 
science to  leave  his  convent  thousands  of  masse?, 


208  A  MASTER-KEY 

for  the  speedy  delivery  of  his  soul  out  of  purgatory ; 
and  in  these  and  other  legacies,  and  cliarities,  three 
parts  of  his  estate  goes  to  the  church  or  convents. 

From  these  we  may  infer  thefts,  murders,  de- 
baucheries, and  division  of  families.  The  confes- 
sors are  the  original  cause  of  all  these  ill  conse- 
quences ;  for  when  they  take  the  best  of  estates 
for  themselves,  no  wonder  if  private  persons  and 
whole  famihes  are  left  in  such  want,  and  necessity, 
that  they  abandon  themselves  to  all  sorts  of  sins, 
and  hazards  of  losing  both  lives  and  honors,  rather 
than  to  abate  something  of  their  pride. 

The  reverend  Nav&sques,  a  Jesuit,  was  the  con- 
fessor of  the  countess  of  Fuentes,  who  was  left  a 
widow  at  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  never  mar- 
ried again,  for  tlie  reverend's  care  is  to  advise  them 
to  live  a  single  life.  (Purity  being  the  tirst  step  to 
heaven.)  The  lady  countess  had  no  children,  and 
hadan  estate  of  her  own,  of  4000  pistoles  a  year, 
besides  her  jewels  and  household  goods,  which,  af- 
ter her  death  were  vahied  at  15000  pistoles.  All 
these  things  and  her  personal  estate,  were  left  to  the 
Jesuits  college,  llicugh  she  had  many  near  rela- 
tions, among  whom  I  knew  two  young  gentlemen, 
second  cousins  of  her  ladyship,  and  two  young  la- 
dies kept  in  her  house  as  her  cousins  too.  She  had 
promised  to  give  them  a  settlement,  suitable  to  their 
quality  and  merits,  which  promise  the  father  con- 
fessor confirmed  to  them  several  times.     But  the 


TO  POPERY. 


209 


lady  died,  and  both  the  young  ladies  and  the  two 
gentlemen  were  left  under  the  providence  of  God, 
for  the  countess  had  forgotten  them  in  her  last  will ; 
and  the  father  confessor  took  no  notice  of  them  af- 
terwards.    The  two  young  ladies  abandoned  them- 
selves to  all  manner  of  private  pleasures  at  first,  and 
at  last  to  pubhc  wickedness.     As  to  the  young  gen- 
tlemen, a  few  months  after  the  lady's  death,  one 
left  the  city  and  went  to  serve  the  king,  as  a  cadet ; 
the  other,  following  a  licentious  life,  was  ready  to 
finish  his  days  with  shame  and  dishonour  on  a  pub- 
lic scaffold,  had  not  the  goodness  and  compassion 
of  the  Marquis  of  Camarassa,  then  viceroy  of  Ar- 
ragon,  prevented  it.     Now,  whether  the  father  con- 
fessor shall  be    answerable  before  God,  for  all  the 
sins  committed  by  the  young  ladies  and  one  of  the 
gentlemen,  for  want  of  what  they  expected  from  the 
countess  or  not,  God  only  knows. — We  may  think 
and  believe,  that  if  the  lady  had  provided  for  them 
according  to  their  condition  in  the  world,  in  all  hu- 
man probability,  they  had  not  committed  such  sins. 
Or,  if  the  college,  or  the  reverend  father  had  been 
more  charitable,  and  compassionate  to  the  condition 
they  were  in,  they  had  put  a  ihnely  stop  to  their 
wickedness. 

If  a  gentleman  have  two  or  three  sons,  and  as  ma- 
ny daughters,  the  confessor  of  the  family  advises 
the  father  to  keep  the  eldest  son  at  home,  and  send 
the  rest  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  daughters,  into  a  convent  or 
18  * 


210 


A  MASTER-KEY 


monastery  ;  praising  the  monastical  life,  and  saying, 
that  to  be  retired  from  the  world,  is  the  safest  way 
to  heaven.  There  is  a  proverb  which  runs  thus  in 
English  :  "  It  is  better  to  be  alone,  than  in  bad  com- 
pany." And  the  confessor  alters  it  thus  :  "  It  is 
better  to  be  alone,  than  in  good  company."  Which 
they  pretend  to  prove  with  so  many  sophistical  ar- 
guments, nay,  with  a  passage  from  the  scripture  ; 
and  this  not  only  in  private  conversation,  but  pub- 
licly in  the  pulpit.  I  remember  I  heard  my  cele- 
brated Mr.  F.  James  Giarcia  preach  a  sermon  upon 
the  subject  of  a  retired  life,  and  solitude,  which  ser- 
mon, and  others  preached  by  him  in  Lent,  in  the 
cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator,  were  printed  after- 
wards. The  book  is  in  folio,  and  its  title  Quadra- 
gesima de  gracia. — He  was  the  first  preacher  I 
heard  make  use  of  the  above  proverb,  and  alter  it 
in  the  aforesaid  way  ;  and  to  prove  the  sense  of  his 
alteration,  he  said  :  "  Remember  the  woman  in  the 
apocalypsis  that  ran  from  heaven  into  the  desert. 
What !  was  not  that  woman  in  heaven,  in  the  com- 
pany of  the  stars  and  planets,  by  which  are  repre- 
sented all  the  heavenly  spirits  ?  Why  then  quits  she 
that  good  company,  and  chooses  to  be  alone  in  a 
desert  place  ?  Because  (says  he)  that  woman  is  the 
holy  soul,  and  for  a  soul  that  desireth  to  be  holy,  it 
is  better  to  be  alone  than  in  good  company.  In  the 
desert,  in  the  convent,  in  the  monastery,  the  soul  is 


% 


TO  p6pery.  2 1 1 

safe,  free  from  sundry  temptations  of  the  world  : 
and  it  tlierefore  belongs  to  a  christian  soul,  not  only 
to  run  from  bad  company,  but  to  quit  the  best  com-, 
pany  in  the  world  and  retire  into  the  desert  of  a 
convent,  or  monastery,  if  that  soul  desires  to  be 
holy  and  pure."  This  was  his  proof ;  and  if  he  had 
not  been  my  master,  I  would  have  been  bold  to  make 
some  reflectioiis  upon  it  :  but  the  respect  of  a  dis- 
ciple, beloved  by  him,  is  enough  to  make  me  silent, 
and  leave  to  the  reader  the  satisfaction  of  reflecting 
in  his  own  way,  to  which  I  heartily  submit. 

The  Marquis  of  Arino  had  one  only  daughter, 
and  his  second  brother  was  an  Augustin  friar,  under 
whose  care  the  marquis  left  his  daughter  when  he 
died.  She  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  rich  and  hand- 
some. Her  uncle  and  executor  was  at  that  time  Dr. 
and  professor  of  divinity  in  the  university,  and  prior 
of  the  convent,  and  could  not  personally  take  care 
of  his  ncice  and  her  family  ;  he  therefore  desired 
one  of  her  aunts  to  go  and  live  with  her,  and  sent 
another  friar  to  be  like  a  steward  and  overseer  of 
the  house.  The  uncle  was  a  good  honest  man  and 
religious.  He  minded  more  his  office  of  a  prior, 
his  study  and  exercises  of  devotion,  than  the  rich«fs, 
pomp,  magnificence,  and. vanity  of  the  world.  See- 
ing that  the  discharge  of  his  duty  and  that  of  an  ex- 
ecutor  of  his  niece  were  inconsistent  together,  he 
resolved  to  marry  her,  which  he  did  to  the  Baron 
Siielves,  a  young,  handsome,  healthy,  rich  gentle- 


212  A  MASTER-KEY 

man  ;  but  he  died  seven  months  after  his  marriage, 
and  the  good  uncle  was  again  at  the  same  trouble 
and  care  of  his  niece,  who  was  left  a  widow,  but 
not  with  child.  After  the  year  of  her  mourning 
was  expired,  she  was  married  to  the  great  president 
of  the  council,  who  was  afterwards  great  chancel- 
lor of  the  kingdom,  but  he  died,  leaving  no  child- 
ren. The  first  and  second  husband  left  all  their 
estates  to  her  ;  and  she  was  reckoned  to  have  eigh- 
ty thousand  pistoles  in  yearly  rent  and  goods.  A 
year  after,  Don  Pedro  Carillo,  brigadier-general, 
and  general  governor  of  the  kingdom  married  her, 
but  has  no  children  by  her.  I  left  both  the  gover- 
nor and  lady  alive,  when  I  quit  the  country.  Now 
I  come  to  the  point.  It  was  specified  in  all  the 
matches  between  the  gentlemen  and  the  lady,  that 
if  they  had  no  issue  by  her,  all  her  estate  and  goods 
should  fall  to  the  uncle  as  a  second  brother  of  her 
father  ;  and  so  ex  necessitate  the  convent  should  be 
forever  the  only  enjoyer  of  it.  It  was  found  out, 
but  too  late,  that  the  friar  steward,  before  she  first 
married,  had  given  her  a  dose  to  make  her  a  barren 
woman  ;  and  though  no  body  believed  that  the  un- 
cle had  any  hand  in  it,  yet  every  body  suspected 
the  friar  steward,  and  it  was  confirmed  at  last  by 
his  own  confession  ;  for  being  at  the  point  of  death, 
he  owned  the  fact  publicly  and  his  design  in  it. 

Another  instance.     A  lady  of  the  first  rank,   of 
18  years  of  age,  the  only  heiress  of  a  considerable 


TO  POPERY.  2 1  3 

estate,  was  kept  by  her  parents  at  a  distance  from 
all  sorts  of  company,  except  only  that  of  the  con- 
fessor of  the  family,  who  was  a  learned  and  devout 
man  ;  but  as  these  reverends  have  always  a  fathef 
companion  to  assist  them  at  home  and  abroad,  ma- 
ny times  the  mischief  is  contrived  and  effected  un- 
known to  the  confessor,  by  his  wicked  companion  ; 
so  it  happened  in  this  instance.  The  fame  of  the 
wonderful  beauty  of  this  young  lady  was  spread  so 
far  abroad,  that  the  King  and  Queen  being  in  the 
city  for  eight  months  together,  and  not  seeing  the 
celebrated  beauty  at  their  court,  her  majesty  asked 
her  father  one  day,  whether  he  had  any  children  ? 
A'jd  when  he  answered,  that  he  had  only  one  daugh- 
ter, he  was  desired  by  the  Queen  to  bring  her  along 
with  him  to  court,  the  next  day,  for  she  had  a  great 
desire  to  see  her  beauty  so  admired  at  home  and 
abroad.  The  father  could  not  fefuse  it,  and  the 
next  day  the  lady  appeared  at  court,  and  was  so 
much  admired  that  a  grandee  (who  had  then  the 
command  of  the  army,  though  not  of  his  own  pas- 
sions) said,  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  seen  the  sun 
among  the  stars.  The  grandee  began  to  covet 
that  mestimable  jewel,  and  his  heart  burning  in 
the  agreeable  flame  of  her  eyes,  he  went  to  see  her 
father,  but  could  not  see  the  daughter.  At  last  he 
sent  for  the  confessor's  companion,  whose  interest 
and  mediation  he  got  by  money  and  fair  promises 
of  raising  him  to  an  ecclesiastical  dijjnity.     By  that 


214  A  MASTER-KET 

means  he  sent  a  letter  to  the  lady,  who  read  it,  and 
in  very  few  days  he  had  her  consent  to  disguise 
himself  and  come  to  see  her  along  the  father  com- 
panion. One  evening  in  the  dark,  putting  on  a  fri- 
ar's habit,  he  went  to  her  chamber,  where  he  was 
always  in  company  with  the  companion  J'riar,  who 
by  crafty  persuasions  made  the  lady  understand, 
that  if  she  did  not  consent  to  every  thing  that  the 
grandee  should  desire,  her  life  and  reputation  were 
lost.  In  the  same  disguise  they  saw  one  another 
several  times  to  the  grandee's  satisfaction  and  her 
grief  and  vexation. 

But  the  court  being  gone,  the  young  lady  began 
to  suspect  some  public  proof  of  her  intrigue,  till 
then  secret,  and  consulting  the  father  companion 
upon  it,  he  did  what  he  could  to  prevent  it,  but  in 
vain.  The  misfortune  was  suspected,  and  owned 
by  her  to  her  parents.  The  father  died  of  grief  in 
eight  days  time,  and  the  mother  went  into  the  coun- 
try with  her  daughter,  till  she  was  free  from  her 
disease,  and  afterwards  both  ladies,  mother  and 
daughter,  retired  into  a  monastery,  where  1  knew 
and  conversed  several  times  with  them.  The  gen- 
tleman had  made  his  will  long  before,  by  the  which 
convent  was  to  get  the  estate  in  case  the  lady  should 
die  without  children  ;  and  as  she  had  taken  the  hab- 
it of  a  nun,  and  professed  the  vows  of  religion,  the 
prior  was  so  ambitious,  that  he  asked  the  estate,  al- 
ledging  that  she,  being  a  professed  nun,  could  not 


TO  POPERY.     '  215 

have  children  ;  to  which  the  lady  replied,  that  she 
was  obliged  to  obey  her  father's  will,  by  which  she 
was  mistress  of  the  estate  during  her  life  ;  adding 
that  it  was  better  for  the  father  prior  not  to  insist  on 
his  demand,  for  she  was  ruined  in  her  reputation  by 
the  wickedness  of  one  of  his  friars,  and  that  she,  if 
prest,  would  shew  her  own  child,  who  was  the  only 
heir  of  her  father's  estate.  But  the  prior,  deaf  to 
her  threatnings,  did  carry  on  his  pretension,  and  by 
an  agreement  (not  to  make  the  thing  more  public 
than  it  was,  for  very  few  knew  the  true  story)  the 
prior  got  the  estate,  obliging  the  convent  to  give  the 
lady  and  her  mother,  during  their  lives,  400  pistoles 
every  year,  the  whole  estate  being  5000  yearly  rent. 

I  was  in  Lisbon  ten  years  ago,  and  a  Spanish  gen- 
tleman (whose  surname  was  Gonzalez)  came  to 
lodge  in  the  same  house  where  I  was,  and  as  we,  af. 
ter  supper,  were  talking  of  the  pope's  supremacy 
and  power,  he  told  me  that  he  himself  was  a  living 
witness  of  the  pope's  authority  on  earth  |  and  ask- 
ing him  hoM^,  he  gave  the  following  account : 

I  was  born  in  Granade,  (said  he)  of  honest  and 
rich,  though  not  noble  parents,  who  gave  me  the 
best  education  they  could  in  that  city.  1  was  not 
tw^enty  years  of  age,  when  my  father  and  mother 
died,  both  within  the  space  of  six  months.  They 
left  me  all  they  had  in  the  world,  reccommending 
to  me  in  their  testament  to  take  care  of  my  sister 
^Dorothea  and  to  provide  for  her.     She  was  the  on- 


216  ^  A  MASTER-KEY 

\y  sister  I  had,  and  at  that  time  in  the  1 8th  year  ol 
her  age.  From  our  youth  we  had  tenderly  loved 
one  another ;  and  upon  her  account,  quitting  my 
studies,  I  gave  myself  up  to  her  company.  This 
tender  brotherly  love  produced  in  my  heart  at  last 
another  sort  of  love  for  her ;  and  tho'  I  never  shew- 
ed her  my  passion,  I  was  a  sufferer  by  it.  I  was  a- 
shamed  within  myself,  to  see  that  I  could  not  mas- 
ter nor  overcome  this  irregular  inclination ;  and 
perceiving  that  the  persisting  in  it  would  prove  the 
ruin  of  my  soul,  and  of  my  sister's  too,  I  finally  re- 
solved to  quit  the  country  for  a  while,  to  see  wheth- 
er I  could  dissipate  this  passion,  and  banish  out  of 
my  heart  this  burning  and  consuming  fire  of  love  ; 
and  after  having  settled  my  affairs,  and  put  my  sister 
under  the  care  of  an  aunt,  1  tooi<  my  leave  of  her, 
who  being  surprised  at  this  unexpected  news,  she 
upon  her  knees  begged  me  to  tell  the  reason  that 
had  moved  me  to  quit  the  country  ;  and  telhng  her 
that  1  had  no  reason  but  only  a  mind  and  desire  to 
travel  two  or  three  years,  and  that  1  begged  of  her 
not  to  marry  any  person  in  the  world,  until  my  re- 
turn home,  i  left  her  and  went  to  Rome.  '  By  let- 
ters of  recommendation,  by  money,  and  by  my  care- 
ful deportment,  1  got  myself  in  a  httle  time  into  the 
favour  and  house  of  cardinal  A.  1.  Two  years  I 
spent  in  his  service  at  my  own  expence,  and  his 
kindness  to  me  was  so  exceeding  great,  that  1  was 
•not  only  his  companiqn,  but  his  favourite  and  con- 


TO  POPERY.  '217 

fident.  All  this  while,  I  was  so  raving  and  in  so  deep 
a  melancholy,  that  his  eminence  pressed  upon  me  to 
tell  him  the  reason.  I  told  him  that  my  distemper 
had  no  remedy.  But  he  still  insisted  the  more  to 
know  my  distemper.  At  last  I  told  him  the  love  I 
had  for  my  sister,  and  that  it  being  impossible  she 
should  be  my  wife,  my  distemper  had  no  remedy. 
To  this  he  said  nothing,  but  the  day  following  went 
to  the  sacred  palace,  and  meeting  in  the  pope's  an- 
ti-chamber cardinal  P.  I.  he  asked  him  whether  the 
pope  could  dispense  with  the  natural  and  divine  im- 
pediment between  brother  and  sister  to  be  married, 
and  as  Cardinal  P.  I.  said  that  (he  pope  could  not, 
my  protector  began  a  loud  and  bitter  dispute  with 
him,  aJledging  reasons  by  which  the  pope  could  do 
it.  The  pope,  hearing  the  noise,  came  out  of  his 
chamber,  and  asked  what  was  the  matter  ?  He 
was  told,  and  tlying  into  an  uncommon  passion,  said, 
the  pope  may  do  every  tlnng,  I  do  dispense  with  it ; 
and  left  them  with  these  words.  The  protector 
took  testimony  of  the  pope's  declaration,  and  went 
to  the  datary,  and  drew  a  pubhc  instrument  of  the 
dispensation,  and  gave  it  to  me,  and  said,  though  I 
shall  be  deprived  of  your  good  services  and  com- 
pany, I  am  very  glad  that  I  serve  you  in  this  to 
your  heart's  desire  and  satisfaction.  Take  thi§ 
dispensation,  and  go  whenever  you  please  to  marry 
your  sister.  I  left  Rome,  and  came  home,  and  af- 
ter 1  had  rested  from  the  fatigue  of  so  long  ajourney^, 
19 


218  A  MASTER-KEY 

I  went  to  present  the  dispensation  to  the  bishop  and 
to  get  his  hcense  ;  but  he  told  nie,  tiiat  he  could 
not  receive  the  dispensation,  nor  give  such  a  li- 
cense ;  I  acquainted  my  protector  with  this,  and 
immediately  an  excommunication  was  dispatched 
against  the  bishop  for  having  disobeyed  the  pope, 
and  commanding  him  to  pay  a  thousand  pistoles  for 
the  treasure  of  the  church,  and  to  marry  me  him- 
self ;  so  I  was  married  by  the  bishop,  and  at  this 
present  time  I  have  five  children  by  my  wife  and 
sister. 

I  could  give  several  more  instances  of  this  nature 
to  convince  that  the  confessors,  priests  and  friars, 
are  the  fundamental,  original  cause  of  almost  all 
the  mischiefs  that  happen  in  families.  By  the  in- 
stances already  given,  every  one  may  easily  know 
the  secret  practices  of  some  of  the  Romish  priests. 
But  I  will  dismiss  this  chapter  by  saying,  that  the 
confession  is  the  mint  of  friars  and  priests,  the  sins 
of  the  penitents  the  metals,  the  absolution  the  coin 
of  money,  and  the  confessors  the  keepers  of  it. 


TO  POPERY.  219 


PART  II. 

A  PRACTICAL  A(  CwU.NT  OF  THEIR  MASSKS5  PRIVILE- 
GED ALTARS,  TRANSUBSTANTIATION  AND  PURGA- 
TORY. 

The  Mass  for  priests  and  friars  is  better,  and  has 
•areater  power  aud  virtue  than  the  loadstone,  for  thie 
only  draws  iron,  but  that  allures  and  gets  to  them 
silver,  goJd,  precious  stones,  and  all  sorts  of  fruits  of 
the  earth  ;  therefore  it  is  proper  to  give  a  descrip- 
tion of  every  thing  the  priests  make  use  of  to  ren- 
der the  mass  magnificent. 

The  priest  every  morning,  after  he  has  examined 
his  conscience  and  confessed  his  sins  (which  they 
call  reconciliation)  goes  to  the  vestry  and  washes 
his  hands  ;  afterwards,  he  kneels  down  before  an 
image  of  a  crucifix,  which  is  placed  on  the  draws, 
where  the  ornaments  are  kept,  and  says  several 
prayers  and  psalms,  written  in  a  book,  called  pre- 
paraterium.  When  the  priest  has  done,  he  gets  up, 
and  goes  to  dress  himself,  all  the  ornaments  being 
ready  upon  the  draws,  which  are  like  the  table  of 
an  altar ;  then  he  takes  the  Ambitio,  which  is  like 
an  Holland  handkerchief,  and  kissing  the  middle  of 


220  A  MASTER-KE¥ 

it,  puts  it  round  about  his  neck,  and  says  a  short 
prayer.  After,  he  takes  the  Alva,  which  is  a  long 
surplice  with  narrow  sleeves,  laced  round  about 
?rith  fine  lace,  and  says  another  prayer  while  he 
puts  it  on.  The  clerk  is  always  behind  to  help  him. 
Then  he  takes  the  Cinguhim,  i.  e.  the  girdle,  and 
iays  a  prayer ;  after,  he  takes  the  Stola,  which  h 
a  long  list  of  silk,  with  a  cross  in  the  middle,  and 
*\vo  crosses  at  the  ends  of  it,  and  says  another  pray^ 
or  while  he  puts  it  on  his  neck,  and  crosses  it  be- 
fore his  breast,  and  ties  it  with  the  ends  of  the  gir- 
dle. After,  he  takes  the  Manipulum.  i.  e.  a  short 
list  of  the  same  silk,  with  as  many  crosses  in  it,  and 
ties  it  on  the  left  arm,  saying  a  prayer.  Then  he 
takes  the  Casulla,  i.  e.  a  sort  of  a  dress  made  of 
three  yards  of  silk  stuff,  a  yard  wide  behind,  and 
something  narrower  before,  with  an  hole  in  the 
middle  to  put  his  head  through  it.  After  he  is  thus 
dressed,  he  goes  to  the  corner  of  the  table,  and  tak- 
ing the  chalice,  cleans  it  with  ahttle  Holland  towel, 
with  which  the  chalice' a  mouth  is  covered  ;  he  then 
puts  a  large  host  on  the /^a/ena,  i.  e.  a  small  silver 
plate  gilt,  which  serves  to  cover  the  chalice,  and 
puts  on  the  host  a  neat  piece  of  fine  Holland  laced 
all  over.  Then  he  covers  all  wiih  a  piece  of  silk, 
three  quarters  of  a  yard  in  square.  After,  he  ex- 
amines the  corporales,  i.  e.  two  pieces  of  fine,  well 
starched  Holland,  with  lace  round  about  ;  the  first 
is  three  quarters  of  a  yard  square,  and  the  scconA 


ro  POPERv.  221 

hal/  a  yard,  find  folding  them  both,  puts  them  in  a 
flat  cover,  which  he  puts  on  the  chaHce,  and  taking 
a  squared  cap,  if  he  is  a  secular  priest,  puts  it  on  his 
head,  and  having  the  chalice  in  his  hands,  makes  a 
great  bow  to  the  crucifix,  says  a  prayer,  and  goes  out 
of  the  vestry  to  the  altar,  where  he  designs  to  say 
mass.  This  is  as  to  the  private  mass.  Before  I 
proceed  to  the  great  mass,  which  is  always  sung,  it 
is  fit  to  talk  of  the  riches  of  their  ornaments. 

As  in  the  Romish  church  are  several  festivals, 
viz.  those  of  our  Saviour  Christ,  Christmas,  circum- 
cision, epiphany,  easter,  ascension,  pentecostes, 
and  transfigu  ration.  Those  of  the  holy  cross  ;  those 
of  the  blessed  virgin  Mary ;  those  of  the  angels, 
apostles,  martyrs,  confessors,  virgins,  i:c.  So  there 
are  several  sorts  of  ornaments  and  of  divers  col- 
ours, white  for  all  the  festivals  of  Jesus  Christ,  ex- 
cept pentecostes,  in  which  the  ornaments  are  red  ; 
white  also,  for  the  festivals  of  the  virgin  Mary,  con- 
fessors, and  virgins  ;  red  for  martyrs  ;  violet  col- 
our for  advent  and  lent ;  and  black  for  the  masses 
of  the  dead. 

The  same  rule  is  observed  in  the  fronts  of  the 
altar's  table,  or  ara  altaris,  which  are  always  a- 
dorned  with  hangings  of  the  colour  of  the  day's  fes- 
tivals. In  every  parish  church  and  convent  there 
are  many  ornaments  of  each  of  the  said  colours,  all 
of  the  richest  silks,  with  silver,  gold  and  embroide- 
ry. There  are  many  long  cloaks  or  palia  of  all 
15* 


222  A  MASTER-KEY 

sorts  of  colours,  several  dozens  of  alvas,  or  surpli- 
ces of  the  finest  holland,  with  the  finest  laces  round 
about  them,  chalice  of  silver,  the  inside  of  the  cup 
gilt,  many  of  gold  set  with  diamonds,  and  precious- 
stones.  There  is  one  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Sal- 
vator,  in  the  city  of  Saragossa,  which  weighs  five 
pounds  of  gold,  set  all  over  with  diamonds,  and  is 
valued  at  15000  crowns,  and  this  is  not  accounted 
an  extraordinary  one. 

A  possenet  of  silver  gilt  all  over,  to  keep  the  ho- 
ly water  and  hysop,  with  a  silver  handle,  to  be  used 
in  holy  days  at  church,  is  an  indispensable  thing  aU 
most  in  every  church  ;  as  also  two  big  candlesticks 
four  feet  high,  for  the  two  accolits  or  assistants  to 
the  great  mass.  In  several  churches  there  are  two 
ciriales,  i.  e.  big  candlesticks  i\ye  feet  high  all  of 
silyer,  which  weigh  200  pounds  in  some  churches, 
and  another  bigger  than  these  for  the  blessed  can- 
dle on  candlemas  day.  Six  other  middle  silver 
candlesticks,  which  serve  on  the  ara  or  altar's  ta- 
ble, silver  (and  in  many  churches,)  gold  bottles 
and  plate  to  keep  the  water  and  wine  that  is  used 
in  the  mass,  a  small  silver  bell  for  the  same  use,  an 
incensary,  and  stand  for  the  missal,  or  mass-book, 
and  another  stand  of  silver  two  feet  high,  for  the 
deacon  and  subdeacon  to  read  on  it  the  epistle  and 
gospel. 

There  is  also  in  the  great  altar  the  custodia,  i.  e, 
a  figure  of  the  sun  and  beams  made  of  gold,  and 


f  0  1»0PERY.  223 

many  of  them  set  with  precious  stones  to  keep  in 
the  centre  of  it  the  great  consecrated  host,  in  the 
middle  of  two  crystals  :  The  foot  of  the  custodia 
is  made  of  the  same  metal ;  it  is  kept  in  a  gilt  tab- 
ernacle, and  shewn  to  the  people  upon  several  oc- 
casions, as  I  will  mention  in  another  place. 

Besides  this  rich  custodia,  there  is  a  large  silver 
or  gold  cup  kept  in  the  same,  or  another  tabernacle 
on  another  altar,  which  is  to  keep  the  small  conse- 
crated wafers  for  the  communicants.  Before  those 
tabernacles  a  silver  lamp  is  burning  night  and  day. 
The  altars  are  adorned  on  several  festivals  with  the 
silver  bodies  of  several  saints,  some  as  large  as  a 
man,  some  half  bodies  with  crowns  or  mitres  set 
with  precious  stones. 

I  could  name  several  churches  and  convents, 
where  I  saw  many  rarities  and  abundance  of  rich 
ornaments,  but  this  being  thing  generally  known 
by  the  private  accounts  of  many  travellers,  I  shall 
only  give  a  description  of  the  rarities  and  riches  of 
the  church  of  the  lady  del  Pilar,  and  that  of  St.  Sal- 
vator,  in  the  city  of  Saragossa ;  because  I  never 
met  with  any  book  which  mention  them,  and  the 
reason  (as  I  believe)  is,  because  foreigners  do  not 
travel  much  in  Spain,  for  want  of  good  conven- 
e  nces  on  the  road,  and  for  the  dismal  journey  in 
which  they  cannot  see  an  house,  sometimes  in 
twenty  miles,  and  sometimes  in  thirty. 

In  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator  there  is 


224  A  MASTER-KEY 

forty-five  prebendaries,  besides  the  dean,  archdea- 
con, chanter,  and  sixty-six  beneficates,  six  priests 
and  a  master,  and  twelve  boys  for  the  music,  and 
sixty  clerks  and  under  clerks,  and  sextons.  The 
church  contains  thirty  chapels,  large  and  small,  and 
the  great  altar  thirty  feet  high  and  ten  broad,  all  of 
marble  stone,  and  in  the  middle  of  it  the  transfigu- 
ration of  our  Saviour  in  the  mount  Tabor,  with  the 
apostles  all  represented  in  marble  figures.  The 
front  of  the  altar's  table  is  made  of  solid  silver,  the 
frame  gilt  and  adorned  with  precious  stones.  In 
the  treasure  of  the  church  they  keep  sixteen  bodies 
of  saints  of  pure  silver,  among  which  that  of  St. 
Peter  Argues,  (who  was  a  prebendary  in  the  same 
church,  and  was  murdered  by  the  Saracens)  is  a- 
dorned  with  rich  stones  of  a  great  value.  Besides 
these  they  keep  twelve  half  silver  bodies  of  other 
Saints,  and  many  relics  set  with  gold  and  diamonds. 
Forty-eight  silver  candlesticks  for  the  altar's  table; 
two  large  ones,  and  the  third  for  the  blessed  candle, 
three  hundred  pound  weight  each  :  thirty-six  small 
silver  candlesticks  :  and  six  made  of  solid  gold  for 
the  great  festivals.  Four  possenets  of  silver,  two 
of  solid  gold,  with  the  handles  of  hysops  of  the 
same.  Two  large  crosses,  one  of  silver,  the  other 
of  gold,  ten  feet  high,  to  carry  before  the  proces- 
sions. Ten  thousand  ounces  of  silver  in  plate,  part 
of  gilt,  to  adorn  the  two  corners  of  the  altar  on  great 
festivals,  and  when  the  archbishop  officiates,  and 


TO  POPERY.  225 

^ays  the  great  mass.  Thirty-three  silver  lamps,  of 
which  the  smallest  is  an  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
weight,  and  the  largest,  which  is  before  the  great 
altar,  gilt  all  over,  is  six  hundred  and  thirty  pounds 
weight.  Abundance  of  rich  ornaments  for  priests, 
of  inexpressible  value.  Eighty-four  chalices,  twen- 
ty of  pure  gold,  and  sixty-four  of  silver,  gilt  on  the 
inside  of  the  cup ;  and  the  rich  chalice  which  only 
the  archbishop  makes  use  of  in  his  pontifical  dress. 
All  these  things  are  but  trifles  in  comparison 
with  the  great  custodia  they  make  use  of  to  carry 
the  great  host  through  the  streets  on  the  festival  of 
Corpus  Christi :  This  was  a  present  made  to  the 
cathedral  by  the  archbishop  of  Sevil,  who  had 
been  prebendary  of  that  church  before.  The  cir- 
cumference of  the  sun  and  beams  is  as  big  as  the 
wheel  of  a  coach  :  at  the  end  of  each  beam  there 
is  a  star.  The  centre  of  the  sun,  where  the 
great  host  is  placed  between  two  crystals,  set  with 
large  diamonds  ;  the  beams  are  all  of  solid  gold  set 
with  several  precious  stones,  and  in  the  middle  of 
each  star,  a  rich  emerald  set  in  gold.  The  crystal 
with  the  great  host  is  fixed  in  the  mouth  of  the 
rich  chalice  on  a  pedestal  of  silver,  all  gilt  over, 
which  is  three  feet  high.  The  whole  custodia  is 
five  hundred  pounds  weight.  And  this  is  placed  on 
a  gilt  base  which  is  carried  by  twelve  priests,  as  I 
shall  tell  you  in  another  article.  Several  goldsmiths 
have  endeavoured  to  value  this  piece,  but  nobody 


226  A  MASTER-KEY 

could  set  a  certain  sum  upon  it.  One  said  that  a 
million  of  pistoles  was  too  little.  And  how  the  arch- 
bishop could  gather  together  so  many  precious 
stones,  every  body  was  surprised  at,  till  we  heard 
that  a  brother  of  his  grace  died  in  Peru,  and  left 
him  great  sums  of  money,  and  a  vast  quantity  of  di- 
amonds and  precious  stones. 

1  come  now  to  speak  of  the  treasure  and  rarities 
of  the  Lady  del  Pilar.  In  the  church  of  this  lady  is 
the  same  number  of  prebendaries  and  beneficiates, 
musicians,  clerks  and  sextons,  as  in  the  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Salvator,  and  as  to  the  ornaments  and 
silver  plate  they  are  very  much  the  same,  except  on- 
ly that  Qf  the  great  custodia,  which  is  not  so  rich. — 
But  as  to  the  chapel  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  there  is 
without  comparison  more  in  it  than  in  the  cathedral. 
I  shall  treat  of  the  image  in  another  chapter.  As 
to  her  riches,  I  will  give  an  account  as  far  as  I  re- 
member. 

In  the  little  chapel,  where  the  image  is  on  a  pil- 
lar, are  four  angles  as  large  and  tall  as  a  man,  with 
a  big  candlestick,  each  of  which  is  made  wholly  of 
silver,  gilt.  The  front  of  two  altars  is  solid  silver 
with  gilt  frames,  set  with  rich  stones.  Before  the 
image  there  is  a  lamp  (as  they  call  it)  a  spider  of 
crystal,  in  which  twelve  wax  candles  burn  night  and 
day.  The  several  parts  of  the  spider  are  set  wiih 
gold  and  diamonds,  which  was  a  present  made  to 
the  Virgin  by  Don  Jon  of  Austria,  who  also  left  her 


TO  POFERY.  227 

in  his  last  will  his  own  heart,  which  accordingly  was 
brought  to  her,  and  is  kept  in  a  gold  box  set  with 
large  diamonds,  and  which  hangs  before  the  image. 
There  is  a  thick  grate  round  about  the  little  chapel 
of  solid  silver.  Next  to  this  is  another  chapel  to 
say  mass  in  before  the  image  ;  and  the  altar-piece 
of  it  is  all  made  of  silver  from  the  top  to  the  altar's 
table,  which  is  of  jasper  stone,  and  the  front  of  sil- 
ver, with  the  frame  gilt,  set  with  precious  stones. 
The  rich  crown  of  the  Virgin  is  twenty-five  pounds 
weight,  set  all  over  with  large  diamonds.  Besides 
this  rich  one,  she  has  six  pounds  more  of  pure  gold, 
set  with  rich  diamonds  and  emeralds,  the  smallest 
of  which  is  worth  half  a  million. 

The  roses  of  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones 
she  has  to  adorn  her  mantle  are  innumerable;  for 
though  she  is  drest  every  day  in  the  colour  of  the 
church's  festival,  and  never  uses  twice  the  same 
mantle,  which  is  of  the  best  stuff  embroidered  with 
gold,  she  has  new  roses  of  precious  stones  every  day 
for  three  years  together,  she  has  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  necklaces  of  pearls  and  diamonds,  and  six 
chains  of  gold  set  with  diamonds,  which  are  put  on 
her  mantle  on  the  great  festival  of  Christ. 

In  the  room  of  her  treasure  are  innumerable 
heads,  arms,  legs,  eyes  and  hands  made  of  gold  and 
silver,  presented  to  her  by  the  people,  which  have 
been  cured  (as  they  believe)  by  miracles  through 
the  Virgin's  divine  power  and  intercessions.     In 


228  A  MASTER-KEY 

this  second  chapel  are  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
silver  lamps  in  three  lines  one  over  the  other:  the 
lamps  of  the  lowest  rank  are  bigger  than  those  of  the 
second,  and  these  are  bigger  than  those  of  the  third. 
The  five  lamps  facing  the  image  are  about  five  hun- 
dred pounds  weight  each,  the  sixty  of  the  same  line 
four  hundred  pounds  weight,  and  those  of  the  third 
line,  one  hundred  pounds  weight.  Those  of  the  se- 
cond line  are  two  hundred  pounds  weight.  There 
is  the  image  of  the  Virgin  in  the  treasure  made  in 
the  shape  of  a  woman  five  feet  high,  all  of  pure  sil- 
ver, set  with  precious  stones,  and  a  crown  of  gold 
set  with  diamonds,  and  this  image  is  to  be  carried  in 
a  pubfic  procession  the  days  appointed. 

I  remember  that  when  the  Rt.Hon.  L'd  Stanhope, 
then  General  of  the  English  forces,  was  in  Saragos- 
sa,  after  the  battle,  he  went  to  see  the  treasure  of 
the  lady  of  Pilar,  which  was  shown  to  him,  and  I 
heard  nim  say  these  words  :  "  If  the  kings  of  Eu- 
rope should  gather  together  all  their  treasures  and 
precious  stones,  they  could  not  buy  half  the  riches 
of  this  treasury."  And  by  this  expression  of  so 
wise  and  experienced  a  man,  every  one  may  judge 
of  their  value. 

After  this  short  account  of  the  ornaments  to  be 
used  at  mass,  and  the  incomparable  treasures  of  the 
Romish  church,  I  proceed  to  a  description  of  the 
great  or  high  masses,  their  ceremonies,  and  of  all 
the  motions  and  gestures  the  priests  make  in  the 
celebration  of  a  mass. 


TO  POPERY.  229 

Besides  the  priest,  there  must  be  a  deacon,  sub- 
deacon,  rwo  acoliti,  i.  e.  two  to  carry  the  large  can- 
dlesticks before  the  priest,  and  one  to  carry  the  in-^ 
censary.  The  incenser  helps  the  priest  when  he 
dresses  himself  in  the  vestry,  and  the  two  acoliti 
help  the  deacon  and  subdeacon.  When  all  three 
are  dressed,  the  incenser  and  the  two  acoliti  in  their 
surplices,  and  large  collars  round  about  their  necks, 
made  of  the  same  stuffas  that  of  the  priest's  casul- 
la,  and  deacon  and  subdeacon's  aalmaticas,  i.  e.  a 
sort  of  casula,  with  open  sleeves,  1  say,  the  incen- 
ser puts  fire  in  the  incensary,  and  the  acoliti  takes 
the  candlesticks  with  the  wax  candles  hghted,  and 
the  subdeacon  takes  the  chalice  and  corporals,  a.'id 
so  making  a  bow  to  the  crucifix  in  the  vestry,  they 
go  out  into  the  church  to  the  great  altar.  There 
are  commonly  three  steps  to  go  up  to  the  altar,  and 
the  priest  and  five  assistants  kneel  down  at  the  first 
step,  then  leaving  the  incense  and  acohti  to  stay 
there,  the  priest,  deacon,  and  subdeacon  go  up  to 
the  altar's  table,  and  all  kneel  down  there  again. 
The  subdeacon  leaves  the  chalice  on  a  little  table 
next  to  the  altar's  table  at  the  right  hand,  and  then 
they  turn  back  again  to  the  highest  step,  and  kneel- 
ing down  again,  the  priest,  deacon  and  subdeacon 
get  up,  leaving  the  incenser  and  acoliti  on  their 
knees,  and  begin  the  mass  by  a  psalm,  and  after  it 
the  priest  says  the '  general  confession  of  sins,  to 
which  the  deacon  and  subdeacon  answer  :  Meserea- 
20 


230  A  MASTER-KEY 

loriui,  Siic.  They  then  say  the  general  confession 
themselves,  and  after  it,  the  priest  absolves  them, 
and  saying  another  psalm,  they  go  up  again  to  the 
altar's  table,  which  the  priest  kisses,  and  he  and  the 
two  assistants  kneel  down,  and  rise  again.  Then 
the  incenser  brings  the  incensary  and  incense,  and 
the  priest  puts  in  three  spoons  full  of  it  and  taking 
the  incensary  from  the  deacon's  hands  he  incenses 
three  times  the  tabernacle  of  Eucharista,  and  goes 
twice  to  each  side  of  it,  he  kneels  down  then,  and 
the  deacon  takes  up  the  hem  of  the  priest's  casulla, 
and  so  goes  fiom  the  middle  of  the  altar  to  the  right 
corner,  incensing  the  table,  and  returning  from  the 
corner  to  the  middle,  then  kneels  down  and  gets  up, 
and  goes  to  the  left  corner,  and  from  the  left  goes 
again  to  the  right  corner,  and  giving  the  incensary 
to  the  deacon,  he  incenses  three  tinies  the  priest, 
and  gives  the  incensary  to  the  incenser,  and  this 
incenses  twice  the  deacon.  The  assistants  always 
follow  the  priest,  niaking  the  same  motions  that  he 
does, 

'J'he  incenser  has  the  missal  or  mass-book  ready 
on  the  altar's  table  at  the  right  corner,  and  so  the 
priest  begins  the  psalm  of  the  mass:  All  this  while 
the  musicians  are  singing  the  beginning  of  the  mass 
till  kyrie  eleijon  and  when  they  have  finished,  the 
priest  sings  three  words  :  Gloria  in  elcelsis  deo.  And 
the  musicians  sing  the  rest.  W  hile  they  are  singing 
the  priest,  deacon  ana  subdeacon,  makmg  a  bow  to 


TO  POFERV.  2;U 

the  tabernacle,  go  to  sit  on  three  rich  chairs  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  ara  or  altar's  table  ;  and  as  soon 
as  the  music  has  ended  the  gloria,  they  go  to  the 
middle  of  the  table,  kneel  down,  and  get  up,  and 
the  priest  kissing  the  table  turns  to  the  people, 
opening  his  arms,  and  says,  in  Latin,  The  Lord  he 
zvithyou,  to  which  and  all  other  expressions  the  mu- 
sic and  the  people  answer  ;  then  turns  again  his 
face  to  the  altar,  kneels  down,  gets  up,  and  the  as- 
sistants doing  the  same,  the  priest  goes  to  the  right 
corner,  and  says  the  collect  for  the  day,  and  two  or 
■sometimes  five  or  six  prayers  in  commemoration  oi 
the  saints  ;  and  last  of  all,  a  prayer  for  the  pope, 
king  and  bishop  of  the  diocess,  against  heretics,  infi- 
dels and  enemies  of  their  religion,  or  the  holy  cath- 
olic faith. 

Then  the  subdeacon,  taking  the  book  of  the  epis- 
tles and  gospels,  goes  down  to  the  lowest  step,  and 
sings  the  epistle,  which  ended,  he  goes  up  to  the 
priest,  kisses  his  hand,,  leaves  the  book  of  the  gos- 
pels on  the  little  table,  takes  the  missal,  or  mass- 
book,  and  carries  it  to  the  left  corner.  Then  the 
priest  goes  to  the  middle,  kneels  down,  kisses  the 
altar,  says  a  prayer,  and  goes  to  say  the  gospel, 
while  the  music  is  singing  a  psalm,  which  they  call 
Tractus  gradualts.  The  gospel  ended,  the  priest 
o  es  again  to  tiie  middle,  kneels  down,  rises  and 
kisses  the  table,  and  turns  half  to  the  altar  and  half 
to  the  people,  and  the  deacon,  giving  him  the  in- 


232'  A  MASTER-KEY 

cense-box,  he  puts  in  three  spoons  full  of  it,  and 
blesses  the  incense.  The  incenser  takes  it  from 
the  deacon,  who  taking  the  book  of  the  gospel, 
kneels  down  before  the  priest  and  asks  his  blessing  : 
the  priest  gives  the  blessing  and  the  deacon  kisses 
his  hand,  and  then  he  goes  to  the  left  corner  and 
sings  the  gospel.  While  the  deacon  sings  the  gos- 
pel, the  priest  goes  to  the  opposite  corner  and  there 
stands  til!  the  gospel  is  ended  :  Then  the  deacon 
carries  to  him  the  book  open,  and  the  priest  kiss- 
ing it,  goes  to  the  middle  of  the  table  and  kneeling^ 
vising,  kissing  the  table,  the  assistants  doing  the  same, 
he  turns  his  face  to  the  people,  opens  his  arms,  and 
says  again,  "  The  Lord  be  with  you."  Then  he 
turns  again  before  the  altar,  and  says.  Let  us  pray. 
The  music  begins  the  oflfertory,  when  there  is  no 
creed  to  be  sung,  for  there  is  no  creed  in  all  their 
festivals. 

While  the  musicians  sing  the  offertory,  the  dea- 
con prepares  the  chalice,  that  is,  he  puts  the  wine 
in  it,  and  after  him,  the  subdeacon  pours  in  three 
drops  of  water  and  cleaning  nicely  ihe  mouth  of  the 
cup,  the  deacon  gives  it  to  the  priest,  who  takes  it 
in  his  hands,  and  offering  it  to  the  eternal,  sets  it  on 
the  clean  corporales,  and  covers  it  with  a  small 
piece  of  fine  holland  ;  then  he  says  a  prayer,  and 
putting  incense  in  the  incensary,  as  before,  kneels, 
and  then  rising,  incenses  the  table,  as  is  said,  which 
done,  the  subdeacon  pours  water  on  the  priest's 


TO  POPERY.  '2dci 

fore  fingers,  which  he  washes  and  wipes  with  9,  clean 
towel,  and  after  returns  to  the  middle  of  the  table, 
and  after  some  prayers,  he  begins  to  sing  the  pre- 
face, which  ended,  he  says  some  other  prayers. 
Before  the  consecration,  he  joins  his  two  hands, 
and  puts  them  before  his  face,  shuts  his  eyes,  and 
examines  his  conscience  for  two  or  three  minutes  ; 
then  opening  his  eyes  and  arms,  says  a  prayer,  and 
begins  the  consecration.  At  this  time  every  body 
is  silent,  to  hear  the  words,  and  when  the  priest 
comes  to  pronounce  them,  he  says  with  a  loud 
voice,  in  Latin,  Hoc  est  enim  corpus  nicum.  Then 
he  leaves  the  consecrated  host  on  the  ar,/,  kneels 
down,  and  getting  up,  takes  again  the  host  with  his 
two  thumbs  and  two  foremost  fingers,  and  lift  it  up, 
as  high  as  he  can,  that  every  body  may  see  it,  and 
leaving  it  again  on  the  same  ara,  kneels  down,  and 
then  rising  up,  takes  the  chalice,  and  after  he  has 
consecrated  the  wine,  leaves  it  on  the  ara,  and  mak- 
ing the  same  motions  and  bows,  he  lifts  it  up  as  he 
did  the  host,  and  placing  it  on  the  ara,  covers  it, 
and  with  the  same  gestures,  he  says  a  prayer  in  re- 
membrance of  all  the  saints,  all  parents,  relations, 
friends,  and  of  all  the  souls  in  purgatory,  but  espe- 
cially of  that  soul  for  whom  the  sacrifice  of  that 
mass  is  offered  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ  himself.  I 
say,  by  Jesus  Christ  himself,  for  as  Ghrysostom  and 
Amb.  say,  the  priest,  not  only  representing  Christ, 
but  in  the  act  of  celebrating  and  consecrating  is  the 
20  * 


234  A  MASTER-KEY 

very  same  Christ  himself.  Thus  it  is  in  the  cate- 
chism pubhshed  by  the  decree  of  the  council  of 
Trent. 

Between  this  and  the  sumption,  or  the  taking  of 
the  host,  and  drinking  of  the  cup,  the  priest  says 
some  prayers,  and  sings  Our  Father,  in  latin,  kneel- 
ing down  several  times.  When  he  comes  to  the 
communion,  he  breaks  the  host  by  the  middle, 
leaves  one  part  on  the  table,  and  breaks  off  the  oth- 
er half,  a  little  piece,  and  puts  it  into  the  cup  ;  this 
done,  he  eats  the  two  half  hosts,  and  drinks  the 
wine,  and  for  fear  any  small  fragments  should  re- 
main in  the  cup,  the  deacon  puts  in  more  wine,  and 
tlie  priest  drinks  it  up,  and  going  to  the  corner  with 
the  chalice,  the  subdeacon  pours  water  upon  the 
priest's  two  thumbs  and  foremost  fingers,  and  being 
well  washed,  goes  to  the  middle  of  the  table,  and 
drinks  up  the  water.  Then  the  deacon  takes  the 
cup  and  wipes  it,  and  putting  on  every  thing,  as 
when  they  came  to  the  altar,  gives  it  to  the  sub- 
deacon,  who  leaves  it  on  the  little  table  near  the 
altar.  After  this  is  done,  the  priest,  kneeling  and 
getting  up,  turning  to  the  people  and  opening  his 
arms,  says,  the  Lord  be  imih  you,  and  two  or  more 
prayers  ;  and  last  of  all,  the  gospel  of  St.  John, 
with  which  he  ends  the  mass  ;  so  in  the  same  order 
they  went  out  of  the  vestry,  they  return  into  it  a- 
gain,  saying  a  prayer  for  the  souls  in  purgatory. 
After  the  priest  is  undrest,  the  incenser  and  acoliti 


TO  POPERY.  235 

kneel  down  before  him,  and  kiss  his  right  hand. 
Then  they  undress  themselves,  and  the  priest  goes 
to  the  humiliatory  to  give  God  thanks  for  all  his 
benefits. 

The  same  ceremonies,  motions  and  gestures  the 
priest  makes  in  a  private  mass,  but  not  so  many  in 
a  mass  for  the  dead.  They  have  proper  masses  for 
the  holy  Trinity,  for  Christ,  the  Virgin  Mary,  An- 
gels, apostles,  martyrs,  confessors,  virgins,  and  for 
the  dead,  the  ornaments  for  this  last  are  always 
black.  This  is  a  true  description  of  the  ceremonies 
of  the  mass  :  now  let  us  give  an  account  of  the 
means  the  priests  make  use  of  for  the  promoting  of 
this  sacrifice,  and  increasing  their  profit. 

The  custom,  or  rule  for  public  masses,  which  are 
always  sung,  is  this  ;  the  person  that  goes  to  the 
clerk  and  asks  a  mass  to  be  sung,  carries  at  least 
six  wax  candles,  which  burn  on  the  altar's  table, 
while  the  mass  lasts,  and  a  good  offering  for  the 
priest,  and  besides  that,  must  give  the  charity,  which 
is  a  crown,  and  the  same  for  a  mass  sung  for  the 
dead  ;  but  if  a  person  have  a  mind  to  have  a  mass 
sung,  such  or  such  a  day  forever,  he  must  give,  or 
settle  upon  the  chapter  or  community,  a  pistole 
every  year,  and  these  are  called  settled  masses,  and 
there  are  of  these  masses  in  every  parish,  church 
and  convent,  more  than  the  priests  and  friars  can 
say  in  a  year  ;  for  ever  since  the  comedy  of  the 
mass  began  to  be  acted  on  the  stage  of  the  church, 


236  A  MASTER-KEY 

the  bigots  of  it  successively  have  settled  masses  ev- 
ery year ;  the  priests  and  friars  then  cannot  dis- 
charge their  conscience,  while  they  keep  the  peo- 
ple ignorant  of  the  truth  of  the  matter. 

Thus  they  blind  the  people.  Suppose  to  be  in  a 
convent  one  hundred  friars  and  priests,  and  that  in 
that  convent  are  two  hundred  private  and  public 
masses  settled  every  day,  the  charity  of  one  hun- 
dred is  a  manifest  fraud  and  robbery,  for  they  re- 
ceive it,  and  cannot  say  the  masses.  And  never- 
theless they  accept  every  day  new  loundations  and 
settlements  of  masses ;  for  if  the  people  ask  the 
dean  or  prior,  whether  there  is  a  vacancy  for  a  mass, 
they  will  never  answer  no  ;  and  in  this  way  they 
increase  the  yearly  rents  continually. 

Thi's  is  to  be  understood  of  the  chapter  or  com- 
munity, and  I  must  say  that  the  chapters,  and  parish 
churches  are  not  so  hard  upon  the  people,  as  the 
convents  of  friars  are,  though  they  are  not  so  rich  as 
the  communities.  The  reason  is,  because  a  parish 
priest  has,  during  his  life,  his  tithes  and  book  money. 
But  a  prior  of  a  convent  commands  that  community 
only  three  years,  therefore,  while  the  office  lasts, 
they  endeavour  to  make  money  of  every  thing. 
I  knew  several  priors  very  rich  after  their  priorship, 
and  how  did  they  get  riches,  but  by  bhnding  and 
cheating  the  people,  exacting  money  for  masses 
which  never  were  said  nor  sung,  nor  ever  will  be  ? 

As  to  the  private  priests  and  friars,  there  is  so 


TO  POPERY.  237 

much  to  be  said  of  them,  that  I  cannot,  in  so  small 
a  book  as  this  is,  give  a  full  account  of  all.  I  shall 
therefore,  only  tell  the  most  usual  methods  they 
'have  to  heap  up  riches  by  gathering  thousands  of 
masses  every  year. 

Observe  first  of  all,  that  if  the  priest  is  a  parish 
minister,  or  vicar,  he  has  every  day  of  the  year 
certain  families,  for  whose  souls,  or  for  fhe  souls  of 
their  ancestors,  he  is  to  celebrate  and  oifer  the  sac- 
rifice of  the  mass.  And  if  he  is  a  friar,  he  has  but 
one  mass  every  week  left  to  him,  for  six  days  he  is 
obliged  to  say  mass  for  the  community.-  So,  by 
this  certain  rule,  a  parish  minister  cannot  in  con- 
science receive  any  money  for  masses,  when  he 
knows  he  cannot  say  more  masses  than  those  settled 
for  every  day  of  the  year  ;  and  by  the  same  rule, 
a  friar  cannot  in  conscience  receive  more  money 
than  for  fifty-two  masses  every  year,  and  conse- 
quently those  that  receive  more  are  deceivers  of 
the  poor  ignorant  people,  robbers  of  their  money, 
and  commit  sacrilege  in  so  doing. 

And  that  they  take  more  than  they  in  justice  can, 
shall  appear  in  several  instances.  First,  I  never 
saw  cither  secular  or  regular  priest  refuse  the  cha- 
rity for  a  mass,  when  a  christian  soul  asked  them  to 
say  it  ;  and  I  knew  hundreds  of  priests  mighty  offi- 
cious in  asking  masses  from  all  sorts  of  people. 
Secondly,  in  all  familes  whatsoever,  if  any  one  is 
dangerously  sick,  there  are  continually  friars  and 


238  A  MASTER-KEY 

priests  waiting  till  the  person  dies,  and  troubling 
the  chief  of  the  family  with  petitions  for  masses  for 
the  soul  of  the  deceased  ;  and  if  he  is  rich  the  cus- 
tom is  to  distribute  among  all  the  convents,  and  pa- 
rishes one  thousand  or  more  masses  to  be  said  the 
day  of  the  burial.  When  the  marquis  of  St.  Mar- 
tin died,  his  lady  distributed  a  hundred  thousand 
masses,  for'which  she  paid  the  very  same  day  five 
thousand  pounds  sterhng,  besides  one  thousand  mas- 
ses, which  she  settled  upon  all  the  convents  and 
parish  churches,  to  be  said  every  year  forever, 
which  amounts  to  a  thousand  pistoles  a  year  for- 
ever. 

Thirdly,  The  friars,  most  commonly  are  rich,  and 
have  nothing  of  their  own  ;  (as  they  say)  some  are 
assisted  by  their  parents,  but  these  are  very  few. — 
They  give  two  thirds  of  whatever  they  get  to  the 
community ;  and  in  some  strict  orders  the  friars 
ought  to  give  all  to  the  convent ;  nevertheless,  they 
are  never  without  money  in  their  pockets,  for  all 
sorts  of  diversions  ;  and  it  is  a  general  observation, 
that  a  friar  at  cards  is  a  resolute  man  ;  for  as  he  does 
not  work  to  get  money,  or  is  sure  of  getting  more  if 
he  loses,  he  does  not  care  to  put  all  on  one  card  ; 
therefore  gentlemen  do  not  venture  to  play  with 
them,  so  they  are  obliged  to  play  with  one  another. 

I  saw  several  friars  who  had  nothing  in  the  world 
but  the  allowance  of  their  community,  and  the  char- 
ity of  fifty-two  masses  a  year,  venture  on  the  card 


r-  TO  POPERY,  239 

fifty  pistoles :  another  lose  two  hundred  pistoles  in 
half  an  hour's  time,  and  the  next  day  have  money 
enough  to  play.  And  this  is  a  thing  so  well  known, 
that  many  of  our  officers  that  have  been  in  Spain, 
can  certify  the  truth  of  it,  as  eye-witnesses. 

The  method  they  take  to  pick  up  money  for  so 
many  masses,  they  do  not  tell  it ;  but  as  I  never  was 
bound  not  to  discover  it,  and  the  discofery  of  it,  I 
hope  will  be  very  useful  to  the  Roman  catholics, 
though  disadvantageous  to  priests  and  friars,  I  think 
myself  obliged  in  conscience,  to  reveal  this  never 
revealed  secret,  for  it  is  for  the  public  good,  not  on- 
ly of  protestants,  who  by  this  shall  know  thoroughly, 
the  cheats  of  the  Romish  priests,  but  of  the  Roman 
catholics  too,  who  bestow  their  money  for  nothing 
to  a  people  that  make  use  of  it  to  ruin  their  souls 
and  bodies.     It  is  in  this  manner  : 

The  friars  are  said  to  have  a  privilege  from  the 
Pope  (I  never  saw  such  a  privilege  myself,  though  I 
did  all  my  endeavours  to  search  and  fuid  it  out)  of  a 
centenaria  missa,  i.  e.  a  brief,  where  the  Pope  grants 
them  the  privilege  of  saying  one  mass  for  a  hun- 
dred ;  which  privilege  is  divulged  among  priests 
and  friars,  who  keep  it  in  secret  among  themselves  : 
so  that,  as  they  say,  one  mass  is  equivalent  to  a  hun- 
dred masses.  1  did  not  question  when  1  was  in  that 
communion,  that  the  Pope  could  do  that  and  more, 
but  1  was, suspicious  of  the  truth  of  such  a  grant. 
Now  observe  that  by  this  brief,  every  friar,  having 


240  A  MASTER-KEY 

for  himself  fifty-two  masses  free  every  year,  and  one 
mass  being  as  good  as  a  hundred,  he  may  get  the 
charity  of  5200  masses, and  the  least  charity  for  every 
mass  being  two  reals  of  plate  ;  i.  e.  fourteen-pence 
of  our  money,  he  may  get  near  300  pound  a  year. 

The  secular  priests,  by  their  brief  of  centenaria 
missa,  have  more  masses,  than  the  private  friars ; 
for  though  they  have  365  settled  masses  to  say  in  a 
year,  they  have,  and  may  get  the  charity  of  99  mas- 
ses every  day,  which  comes  to  three  millions,  six 
thousand,  one  hundred,  and  thirty-five  masses  every 
year.  In  the  convents  that  have  120  friars,  and 
some  400,  the  prior,  having  six  masses  every  week 
from  each  of  his  friars,  by  the  same  rule,  the  prior 
may  have  millions  of  millions  of  masses. 

Hear  now,  how  they  amuse  the  credulous  people. 
If  a  gentleman  or  gentlewoman,  or  any  other  per- 
son goes  to  church,  and  desires  one  mass  to  be  said 
for  such  or  such  a  soul,  and  to  be  present  at  it, 
there  is  always  a  friar  ready,  from  six  in  the  morn- 
ing, till  one,  to  say  mass.  He  takes  the  charity  for 
it,  and  he  goes  to  say  it  ;  which  he  says  for  that  soul 
as  I  say  now  :  For  till  such  time  as  he  gets  the  cha- 
rity of  a  hundred  masses,  which  is  above  five  pounds 
sterling,  he  will  not  say  his  own  mass,  or  the  mass 
for  him.  And  so  the  rest  of  the  friars  do,  and  many 
priests  too  :  the  person  that  has  given  the  charity 
and  has  heard  the  mass,  goes  home  fully  satisfied 
that  the  mass  has  been  said  for  him,  or  to  his  in- 
tention. 


TO  POPERY.  241 

As  to  the  communities  :  If  somebody  dies,  and 
the  executors  of  the  testament  go  to  a  father  prior, 
and  beg  of  him  to  say  a  thousand  masses,  he  gives 
them  a  receipt,  whereby  the  masses  are  said  alrea- 
dy ;  for  he  makes  them  beheve  that  he  has  more 
masses  said  already  by  his  friars  to  his  own  inten- 
tion, and  that  out  of  the  number  he  applies  a  thous- 
and for  the  soul  of  the  dead  person  5  so  the  execu- 
tors upon  his  word,  take  the  receipt  of  the  masses 
which  they  want  to  show  to  the  Vicar-General,  who 
is  to  visit  the  testament,  and  see  every  spiritual 
thing  ordered  in  it,  accomplished  accordingly. 

This  custom  of  asking  money  for  masses,  is  not 
only  among  the  friars,  but  among  the  beatas,  and 
nuns  too,  for  a  beata,  with  an  affected  air  of  sanctity 
goes  up  and  down  to  visit  the  sick,  and  asks  belbre- 
hand  many  masses  from  the  heads  of  families,  al- 
ledging  that  by  her  prayers  and  so  many  masses,  the 
sick  may  be  recovered,  and  restored  to  his  former 
health ;  but  these,  if  they  get  money  for  masses,  they 
give  it  to  their  spiritual  confessors,  who  say  tiitun 
as  the  beata  ordereth.  And  according  to  their  cus- 
tom and  belief,  there  is  no  harm  at  all  in  so  doing. 
The  evil  is  in  the  nuns,  who  get  every  where  abun- 
dance of  masses,  on  pretence  they  have  priests  and 
friars  of  their  relations,  who  want  the  charity  of 
masses.  And  what  do  they  Avith  the  money  ?*-Eve- 
ry  nun,  having  a  Devoto,  or  gallant  to  serve  her, 
desires  him  to  say  so  many  masses  for  htr,  and  to 
21 


1242  A  MA8TER-KEt 

give  her  a  receipt ;  he  promises  to  do  it,  but  he 
never  does  say  the  masses,  though  he  gives  a  re- 
ceipt ;  so  the  nun  keeps  the  money,  the  friar  is 
paid  by  her  in  an  unlawful  way,  the  people  are 
cheated,  and  the  souls  in  purgatory  (if  there  was 
such  a  place)  shall  remain  there  forever,  for  want 
of  relief. 

But  the  worst  of  it  is,  that  a  public,  scandalous 
woman,  will  gather  together  a  number  of  masses, 
•n  pretence  that  she  has  a  cousin  in  such  a  convent, 
who  wants  masses,  i.  e.  the  charity  for  them.  And 
what  use  do  they  make  of  them  ?  This  is  an  abom- 
ination to  the  Lord.  They  have  many  friars  who 
visit  them  unlawfully,  and  pay  for  it  in  masses  :  so 
the  woman  keeps  the  money  in  payment  of  her 
own  and  their  sins,  gets  a  receipt  from  the  friars, 
and  these  never  say  the  masses  ;  for  how  can  we 
believe  that  such  men  can  offer  the  holy  sacrifice, 
(as  they  call  the  mass)  for  such  a  use  ?  And  if  they 
do  it,  which  is,  in  all  human  probabihty,  impossi- 
ble, who  would  not  be  surprised  at  these  proceed- 
ings ?  Every  body  indeed. 

There  is  another  custom  in  the  church  of  Rome, 
which  brings  a  great  deal  of  profit  to  the  priests  and 
friars,  viz.  the  great  masses  of  brotherhoods  or  fra- 
ternities. In  every  parish  church,  and  especially 
in  every  convent  of  friars  and  nuns,  there  is  a  num- 
ber of  these  fraternities,  i.  e.  corporations  of  trades- 
men :  and  every  corporation  has  a  saint  for  their 


TO  POPERY.  243 

advocate  or  patron  :  viz.  the  corporation  of  shoe- 
makers, has  for  an  advocate  St.  Chrlspin  and  Chris- 
pinia  ;  the  butchers  St.  Bartholomew,  «kc.  and  so 
of  the  rest.  There  is  a  prior  of  the  corporation, 
who  celebrates  the  day  of  their  advocate  with  a 
solemn  mass,  music,  candles,  and  after  all,  an  en- 
tertainment for  the  members  of  the  fraternity,  and 
all  the  friars  of  the  community.  To  this  the  corpo- 
ration gives  eight  dozen  of  white  wax  candles  to  il- 
luminate the  altar  of  their  patron,  when  the  solemn 
mass  is  sung,  and  whatever  remains  of  the  candles 
goes  to  the  convent.  The  prior  pays  to  the  com- 
munity twenty  crowns  for  the  solemi.  mass,  and  ten 
crowns  to  the  musicians.  The  day  following  the 
corporation  gives  three  dozen  yellow  candles,  and 
celebrates  an  anniversary,  and  have  many  masses 
sung  for  the  relief  of  their  brethren's  souls  in  pur- 
gatory ;  for  every  mass  they  pay  a  crown  ;  and  be- 
sides all  these,  the  corporation  has  a  mass  settled 
every  Friday,  which  is  to  be  sung  for  the  rehef  of 
the  brethren's  souls,  for  which  and  candles,  the 
convent  receives  six  crowns  every  Friday.  There 
is  not  one  church  nor  convent  vvjth=  ut  two  or  three 
of  these  corporations  every  week  ;  for  there  are 
saints  enough  in  the  church  for  it,  and  by  these 
advocates  of  the  friars,  rather  than  of  the  members 
of  the  corporation,  every  body  may  form  a  right 
judgment  of  the  riches  the  priests  and  friars  get  by 
these  means. 


244  A  MASTER-KEY 

One  thing  I  cannot  pass  bj,  though  it  has  no  reJa- 
lion  with  the  main  hubect  of  the  mass  ;  and  this  is, 
tliai  after  the  solemn  mass  is  finished,  the  prior  of 
the  corporation,  with  his  brethren,  and  the  prior  of 
the  convent,  with  his  friars,  go  ail  together  to  the 
refectory  or  common-hall,  to  dinner,  there  they 
make  rare  demonstrations  of  joy,  in  honour  of  the 
advocate  oi  that  corporation.  The  prior  of  the 
coiivent  makes  a  short  speech  before  dinner,  re- 
commending to  them  to  eat  and  drink  heartily,  for 
after  they  have  paid  a!'  the  honour  and  reverence 
to  their  advocate  that  is  due,  they  ought  to  eat  and 
diijik  and  be  merry  ;  so  they  drink  till  they  are  hap- 
py, Ihcugh  not  drunk. 

I  heard  a  pleasant  story  reported  in  town,  from  a 
faithful  person,  who  assured  me  he  sav/,  himself,  a 
friar,  come  oat  of  the  refectory,  at  eight  at  night, 
and  as  he  came  out  of  the  convent's  gate,  the  moon 
shining  that  night,  and  the  shadow  of  the  house  be- 
ing in  the  middle  of  the  street,  the  merry  friar 
thinking  that  the  light  of  the  moon,  in  the  other 
half  part  of  the  street,  was  water,  he  took  off  his 
shoes  and  stockings,  and  so  walked  till  he  reached 
the  shadow ;  and  being  asked  %  my  friend,  the 
meaning  of  such  extravagant  folly,  the  friar  cried 
out,  .i'  miracle,  A  miracle  !  The  gentleman  thought 
that  the  friar  was  mad  :  bat  he  cried  the  more,  A 
miracle,  A  miracle.  Where  is  the  miracle  ?  (the 
people  that  came  to  the  windows  asked  him  •,)    / 


TO  POPERY.  24.') 

came,  this  minute  through  this  river  (said  he)  and  I 
did  not  wet  the  soles  of  my  feet ;  and  then  he  desired 
the  neighbors  to  come  and  be  witnesses  of  the  mi- 
racle. In  such  a  condition  the  honor  of  the  advo- 
cate of  that  day  put  the  reverend  friars  ;  and  this 
and  the  hke  etfects  such  festivals  occasion,  both  in 
the  members  of  the  convents  and  corporation. 

Now  I  come  to  the  means  and  persuasions,  the 
friars  make  use  of  for  the  extolling,  and  praising  this 
inestimable  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  and  the  great  ig- 
norance of  the  people  inbeheving  them.  First  of 
all,  as  the  people  know  the  debaucheries  and  lewd 
lives  of  many  friars  and  priests,  sometimes  they  are 
loth  to  desire  a  sinful  friar  to  say  mass  for  them, 
thinking  that  his  mass  cannot  be  so  acceptable  to 
God  Almighty  as  that  which  is  said  by  a  priest  of 
good  morals  :  So  far  the  people  are  illuminated  by 
nature  ;  but  to  this  priests  and  friars  make  them  be- 
lieve, that  though  a  priest  be  the  greatest  sinner  in 
the  world,  the  sacrifice  is  of  the  same  efficacy  with 
God,  since  it  is  the  sacrifice  made  by  Christ  on  the 
Cross  for  all  sinners  ;  and  that  it  was  so  declared  by 
the  pope,  and  the  council  of  Trent. 

Put  it  together  with  what  the  same  council  de- 
clares, that  the  priest  not  only  represents  Christ 
when  he  offers  the  sacrifice,  but  that  he  is  the  very 
person  of  Christ  at  that  time,  and  that  therefore 
David  calls  them  Christs  by  these  words  :  J^olite  taw 
gere  Christos  meos,  O  execrable  thing !  If  the  priest  iB 
21  * 


246  A  MASTER-KEk 

the  very  Christ  in  the  celebration  of  the  mass,  how 
can  he  at  the  same  time  be  a  sinner  ?  It  being  cer- 
tain that  Christ  knew  no  sin  :  and  if  that  Christ- 
Priest,  offering  the  sacrifice,  is  in  any  actual  moral 
sin,  how  can  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  which  is  (as 
to  them)  the  same  sacrifice  Christ  did  offer  to  his 
eternal  Father  on  the  cross,  be  efiicacious  to  the 
expiation  of  the  sins  of  the  people  ?  For,  in  the 
first  place,  that  sacrifice  offered  by  a  priest  Christ, 
in  an  actual  moral  sin  cannot  be  an  expiation  of  the 
sin,  by  which  the  priest  is  spiritually  dead.  Se- 
condly, if  the  Christ-Priest  is  spiritually  dead  by 
that  mortal  sin,  how  can  such  a  priest  offer  a  hvely 
spiritual  sacrifice  ?  We  must  conclude  then,  that  the 
priests,  by  such  blasphemous  expressions,  not  only 
deceive  the  people,  but  rob  them  of  their  money, 
and  commit  a  high  crime,  but  that  the  sacrifice  he 
offers  is  really  of  no  effect,  or  efficacy  to  the  relief 
of  the  soul  in  the  pretended  purgatory. 


ARTICLE  IL 

OF  THE  PRIVILEGED  ALTAR, 

A  privileged  altar,  is  the  altar  to  which  (or  to 
some  image  on  it)  the  pope  has  granted  a  privilege 
t>{  such  a  nature,  that  whosoever  says  before  it,  or 


to  POPERY.  247 

before  the  image,  so  many  pater  nosters,  &c.  and 
So  many  ave  Maria's,  with  gloria  patri,  &c.  obtains 
remission  of  his  sins,  or  relieves  a  soul  out  of  pur- 
gatory :  or  whoever  orders  a  mass  to  be  said  on  the 
ara  of  such  an  altar,  and  before  the  image,  has  the 
privilege  (as  they  believe)  to  take  out  of  purgato- 
ry that  soul  for  which  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass  is 
offered. 

The  cardinals,  Patriarchs,  Primates,  Archbishops 
and  Bishops,  can  grant  to  any  image  forty  days  of 
full  and  free  indulgence,  and  15  quarantains  of  par- 
don, for  those  that  visit  the  said  image,  and  say 
such  a  prayer  before  it  as  they  have  appointed  at 
the  granting  of  such  graces  :  So  not  only  the  ima- 
ges of  the  altars  in  the  church,  but  several  images 
in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  and  on  the  highway, 
have  those  graces  granted  to  them  by  the  Bishop  of 
the  diocess  :  Nay,  the  beads  or  rosary  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mai;y,  of  some  considerable  persons,  have  the 
same  grants  :  And  what  is  yet  more  surprising,  the 
picture  of  St.  Anthony^s  pig,  which  is  placed  at  the 
saint's  feet,  has  the  granting  of  fifteen  quarantains 
of  pardon  of  sins  for  those  that  visit  and  pray  be- 
fore him.  What  the  people  do  on  St.  Martin's  day, 
I  stiall  tell  in  another  chapter. 

1  will  not  dispute  now,  whether  the  popes  and 
bishops  have  authority  to  grant  such  privileges  ;  but 
I  only  say,  that  I  do  not  believe  such  a  dream  :  for 
the  pope  has  usurped  the  supremacy  and  infaliibili- 


248  A  MASTER-KEY 

tj,  and  his  ambition  being  so  great,  he  never  will 
dispossess  himself  of  a  thing  by  which  he  makes 
himself  more  supreme,  infallible,  and  rich ;  by 
keeping  all  those  graces  in  his  own  hands,  he  would 
oblige  all  the  bigots  to  seek  after  him  and  pay  him. 
for  them,  and  have  him  in  more  veneration  than 
otherwise  he  would  be  in. 

These  privileges  are  a  great  furtherance  to  carry 
on  the  eclesiastical  interests,  and  to  bring  the  peo- 
ple to  offer  their  prayers  and  money,  and  to  be 
bhnded  and  deceived  by  those  papal  inventions. — 
But  because  I  have  already  treated  of  these  privi- 
leges I  proceed  to  the  third  article. 


ARTICLE  III. 

OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION,  OR  THE  EUCHARIS']. 

I  shall  say  nothing,  touching  the  scholasticai 
opinions  of  the  Romish  church  about  the  sacrament 
of  the  Eucharist,  or  the  real  presence  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  it ;  for  these  are  well  known  by  our  learn- 
ed and  well  instructed  laity  :  so  I  will  confine  my- 
self wholly  to  their  practices  in  the  administration 
of  this  sacrament,  and  the  worship  paid  to  it  by  the 
priests  and  laity  5  and  what  strange  notions  the 
preachers  put  in  the  people's  heads  about  it. 


TO  POPERY.  249 

First,  as  to  the  administration  of  this  sacrament, 
actual  or  habitual  intention  being  necessary  in  a 
priest,  to  the  vahdity  and  efficacy  of  the  sacrament, 
open  confession  and  repentance  of  his  sins  :  he 
goes  to  consecrate  the  bread  and  wine,  and,  (as 
they  say,  believe,  and  make  the  people  believe) 
with  five  words  they  oblige  Jesus  Christ  to  descend 
from  heaven  to  the  host  with  his  body,  soul  and  di- 
vinity, and  that  so  he  remains  there  as  high  and  al- 
mighty as  he  is  in  heaven  ;  which  they  endeavour 
to  confirm  with  pretended  miracles  ;^  saying,  that 
many  priests  of  pure  lives  have  seen  a  little  boyj 
instead  of  a  wafer,  in  the  consecrated  host,  kc. 

In  winter,  twice  every  month,  and  in  summer,  ev- 
ery week,  the  priest  is  to  consecrate  one  great  host, 
and  a  quantity  of  small  ones  :  Which  they  do  in  the 
foilowmg  manner.  After  the  priest  has  consecra- 
ted the  great  and  small,  besides  the  host  which  he 
is  to  receive  himself,  the  priests  of  the  parish,  or 
friars  of  the  convent,  come  in  two  lines,  with  wax 
candles  lighted  in  their  hands^  and  kneel  dov\^n  be- 
fore the  altar,  and  begin  to  sing  an  hymn  and  anthem 
to  the  sacrament  of  the  altar  (so  it  is  called  by 
them  ;)  then  the  priest  opens  the  tabernacle  where 
the  great  old  host  is  kept  between  two  crystals,  and 
takes  out  of  the  tabernacle  the  custodia,  and  a  cup 
of  small  consecrated  wafers,  and  puts  them  on  the 
table  of  the  altar ;  then  he  takes  the  great  old  ho§t. 


250  A  MASTER-KEl 

eats  it,  and  so  he  does  the  small  ones  ;  then  he  put« 
the  new,  great,  consecrated  host  between  the  two 
crystals  of  the  custodia,  and  the  new  small  ones 
into  the  communion  cup  ;  because  the  small  ones 
serve  the  common  people.  Then  he  incenses  the 
great  host  on  his  knees,  and  having  a  white,  neat 
towel  round  his  neck,  with  the  ends  of  it  he  takes 
the  custodia,  and  turns  to  the  people  and  makes  the 
figure  of  a  cross  before  the  people,  and  turning  to 
the  altar,  puts  the  custodia,  and  the  cup  of  the  small 
wafers  in  the  tabernacle  and  locks  the  door,  and  the 
priests  go  away. 

The  reason  why  the  great  host,  and  the  small  ones 
are  renewed  twice  a  month  in  winter,  and  every 
week  in  summer  (as  they  say)  is  (mind  this  reason, 
for  the  same  is  against  them)  because  in  summer, 
by  ihe  excessive  heat,  the  host  niay  be  corrupted 
and  putrified,  and  produce  worms,  which  many  times 
has  happened  to  the  great  host,  as  I  myself  have 
seen.  So  to  prevent  this,  they  consecrate  every 
week  in  summer-time,  but  in  winter,  which  is  a 
more  favourable  time  to  preserve  the  host  from  cor- 
ruption, only  once  in  a  fortnight.  If  Christ  is  then 
in  the  host  with  the  body,  soul  and  divinity,  and 
David  says,  that  the  holy  One,  i.  e.  (Christ  who  is 
God  blessed  forevermore)  Never  shall  see  corrup- 
tion. How  comes  it,  that  that  host,  that  holy  one, 
that  Christ,  is  sometimes,  corrupted  and  putrified  ? 
The  substance  of  bread  being  only  subject  to  cor- 


TO  POPERY.  251 

ruption,  being  vanished,  and  the  body  of  Jesus 
Christ  substituted  in  its  place,  this  body  by  a  just 
inference  is  corrupted  ;  which  is  against  the  scrip- 
ture and  against  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Again,  I  ask,  whether  the  worms,  engendered  in 
that  host,  come  out  of  the  real  body  of  Christ,  or 
out  of  the  material  substance  of  the  host  ?  If  out  of 
the  body  of  Christ :  every  body  may  infer  from  this 
the  consequences  his  own  fancy  suggests.  And  if 
they  say  that  the  worms  are  engendered  in  the  ma- 
terial substance  of  the  bread  ;  then  the  substance 
of  the  bread  remains  after  the  consecration,  and  not 
as  they  say,  the  real  substance  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

Again,  It  is  a  rule  given  by  all  the  Casuists,  that 
that  host  must  be  eaten  by  the  priest.  I  do  ask  the 
priest  that  eats  the  host  with  the  worms,  whether 
he  believes  that  host  and  worms  to  be  the  real  body 
of  Christ  or  not :  If  he  says  no,  why  does  he  eat  it 
to  the  prejudice  of  his  own  health  ?  And  if  he  be- 
lieves it  to  be  the  real  body  of  Christ,  I  do  ask  a- 
gain,  whether  the  worms  are  Christ,  with  body,: 
soul,  and  divinity,  or  not  ?  If  they  are  not,  I  give 
the  said  instance  :  And  if  they  answer  in  the  affir- 
mative ;  then  I  say,  that  a  priest  did  not  eat  the 
host  and  worms,  (as  I  saw  myself)  on  pretence  of  the 
loathing  of  his  stomach,  and  after  the  mass  was  en- 
ded, he  carried  the  host,  (two  priests  accompanying 
him  with  two  candles)  and  threw  it  into  a  place, 
which  they  call  Piscina,  a  place  where  they  throw 


252  A  MASTER-KEY 

the  dirty  water  after  they  wash  their  hands,  which 
runs  out  of  the  church  into  the  street.  What  can 
we  say  now  ?  If  the  worms  and  corrupted  host  is 
the  real  body  of  Christ,  see  what  a  value  they  have 
for  him,  when  they  throw  it  away  like  dirty  water  ; 
and  if  that  host  comes  out  of  the  running  piscina  in- 
to me  street,  the  first  dog,  or  pig  passing  by  (which 
is  very  common  in  Spain)  may  eat  it.  And  if  they 
are  not,  besides  the  said  instance  of  eating  it  to  the 
prejudice  of  their  health,  we  may  add  this  :  name- 
ly, Why  do  the  priests  and  two  more  carry  the  host 
in  form  of  procession  and  with  so  great  veneration, 
with  lights  and  psalms,  as  if  it  was  the  real  body  of 
Christ  ? 

Now,  as  to  the  way  of  administering  the  sacra- 
ment to  the  people,  they  do  it  in  the  following  man- 
ner, which  is  also  against  their  fantastical  transub- 
stantiation.  I  said  that  the  priest  or  friar  conse- 
crates small  hosts  once  a  week,  to  give  them  to  the 
people  when  tliey  go  to  receive.  The  priest  in  his 
surplice  and  I  with  the  stola  on,  goes  to  the  altar, 
says  the  prayer  of  the  sacrament,  -pens  the  taber- 
nacle, and  taking  out  of  it  the  cup,  opens  it,  and 
turning  to  the  communicants,  takes  one  of  the  wa- 
fers with  his  thumb  andforem  '-i  finger  of  his  right 
hand,  lifts  it  up,  and  says  :  "Seethelamh  of  God 
that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world,"  which  he 
repeats  three  times  5  and  after  goes  straig  tvay  to 
the  communicants,  and  puts  a  Wdier  into  each  of 


TO  POPERY.  ^253 

their  mouths.  When  all  have  received,  he  puts  the 
cup  again  into  the  tabernacle,  and  goes  to  the  ves- 
try. This  is  when  the  people  receive  before  or  af- 
ter mass,  but  when  they  do  receive  at  mass,  the 
priest  consecrates  for  himself  a  great  host,  and  af- 
ter he  has  eaten  it,  he  takes  the  cup  out  of  the  tab- 
ernacle and  gives  the  small  wafers,  consecrated  be- 
fore by  another  priest,  to  the  communicants,  and 
putting  again  the  cup  into  the  tabernacle,  or  sacra- 
rium  (as  they  call  it)  drinks  the  consecrated  wine 
himself. 

Secondly.  In  the  Dominican's  convent  it  hap- 
pened that  a  lady  who  had  a  lap-dog,  which  she  al- 
ways used  to  carry  with  her,  went  to  receive  the 
sacrament  with  the  dog  under  her  arm,  and  the  dog 
looking  up  and  beginning  to  bark  when  the  friar 
went  to  put  the  wafer  in  the  lady's  mouth,  he  let 
the  wafer  fall,  which  happened  to  drop  into  the 
dog's  mouth.  Both  the  friar  and  the  lady  were  in 
a  deep  amazement  and  confusion,  and  knew  not 
what  to  do ;  so  they  sent  for  the  reverend  father 
prior,  who  resolved  this  nice  point  upon  the  spot, 
and  ordered  to  call  two  friars  and  the  clerk,  and 
to  bring  the  cross,  and  two  candlesticks  with  can- 
dles lighted,  and  to  carjy  the  dog  in  form  of  pro- 
cession into  the  vestry,  and  keep  the  poor  little 
creature  there  with  illuminations,  as  if  he  was  the 
host  itself,  till  the  digestion  of  the  wafer  was  over, 
and  then  to  kill  the  dog  and  throw  it  into  the  pisci^ 
22 


254  A  MASTER-KEY 

na.  Anotber  friar  said,  it  was  better  to  open  the 
dog  immediately,  and  take  out  the  fragments  of  the 
host ;  and  a  third  was  of  opinion,  that  the  dog  should 
be  burnt  on  the  spot.  The  lady  who  loved  dearly 
her  Cupid  (this  was  the  dog's  name)  entreated  the 
father  prior  to  save  the  dog's  life,  if  possible,  and 
that  she  would  give  every  thing  to  make  amends 
for  it.  Then  the  prior  and  friars  retired  to  con- 
sult what  to  do  in  this  case,  and  it  was  resolved  that 
the  dog  should  be  called  for  the  future,  El  perillo 
del  Sacramento,  i.  e.  The  sacrament's  dog.  2. 
That  if  the  dog  should  happen  to  die,  the  lady  was 
to  give  him  a  burying  in  consecrated  ground.  3. 
That  the  lady  should  take  care  not  to  let  the  dog 
play  with  other  dogs.  4.  That  she  was  to  give  a 
silver  dog,  which  was  to  be  placed  upon  the  taber- 
nacle where  the  hosts  are  kept.  And  5.  That  she 
should  give  twenty  pistoles  to  the  convent.  Every 
article  was  performed  accordingly,  and  the  dog 
Avas  kept  with  a  great  deal  of  care  and  veneration. 
The  case  was  printed,  and  so  came  to  the  ears  of 
the  inquisitors,  and  Don  Pedro  Guerrero  first  in- 
quisitor, thinking  the  thing  very  scandalous,  sent 
for  the  poor  dog,  and  kept  him  in  the  inquisition  to 
the  great  grief  of  the  lady.  What  became  of  the 
dog  nobody  can  tell.  This  case  is  worthy  to  be 
reflected  on  by  serious,  learned  men,  who  may 
draw  consequences  to  convince  the  Romans  of  the 
folhes.covetousness,  and  superstitions  of  the  priests. 


TO  POPERY.  25^ 

3dly.  I  have  said  already  in  another  place,  that 
the  Reverend  father  friar  James  Garcia  was  reput- 
ed among  the  learned,  the  only  man  for  divinity  in 
this  present  age  ;  and  that  he  was  my  master,  and 
by  his  repeated  kindness  to  me,  I  may  say,  that  I 
was  his  well  beloved  disciple.  I  was  to  defend  a 
public  thesis  of  divinity  in  the  university,  and  he 
was  to  be  president,  or  moderator.  The  thesis 
contained  the  following  Treatises.  De  Essentia 
and  Attribntis  Dei:  De  Visionc  beatijica  ;  De  Gra- 
tia  Justijicante  and  auxiliante  :  De  Providentia  :  Dc 
Actu  Libero  :  De  Trinitate  :  and  de  Sacramentis  in 
gcnere.  All  which  I  had  learned  from  him.  The 
shortest  treatise,  of  all  he  taught  publicly  in  the 
university,  was  the  Eucbaristia.  The  proofs  of  his 
opinion  were  short,  and  the  objections  against  them 
very  succinct  and  dark.  I  must  confess,  that  I  was 
full  of  confusion,  and  uneasy  for  fear  that  some  doc- 
tor of  divinity  would  make  an  argument  against 
our  opinion  touching  the  sacrament  of  Eucbaristia. 
And  I  endeavoured  to  ask  my  master  to  instruct 
me,  and  furnish  me  with  answers  suitable  to  the 
most  difficult  objections  that  could  be  proposed  ; 
but  though  he  desired  me  to  be  easy  about  it,  and 
that  upon  necessity,  he  would  answer  for  me  ;  I  re- 
plied with  the  following  objection.  God  never  will 
punish  any  man  for  not  believing  what  is  against 
the  evidence  of  our  senses,  but  the  real  presence 
in  Eucbaristia  is  so  : — Ergo  (salva  fide)  God  will 


2.56  A  MASTER-KEY 

aot  punish  any  man  for  not  believing  the  real  pres- 
ence of  Christ  there.  To  this  he  told  me,  that 
none  of  the  doctors  would  propose  such  an  argu- 
ment to  me,  and  he  advised  me  not  to  make  such 
an  objection  in  public,  but  to  keep  it  in  my  heart. 
But  father  (said  I)  I  ask  your  answer;  my  answer 
is  (said  he)  aliud  Lingua  doceo,  aliud  Corde  credo, 
i.  e.  I  teach  one  thing,  and  I  believe  another.  By 
these  instances,  I  have  given  now,  every  body  may 
easily  know  the  corruptions  of  the  Romish  church, 
and  the  nonsensical  opinions  of  their  priests  and 
friars,  as  also,  that  the  learned  do  not  believe  in 
their  hearts,  that  there  is  such  a  monster  as  tran- 
suhstantintion^  though  for  some  worldly  ends,  they 
do  not  discover  their  true  sentiments  about  it. 

Now  I  proceed  to  the  worship,  and  adoration^ 
both  the  clergy  and  laity  pay  to  the  holy  host  or  sa- 
crament. 

I  shall  not  say  any  thing  of  what  the  people  do, 
when  the  priests  in  a  procession  under  a  canopy 
carried  the  sacrament  to  the  sick,  for  this  custom 
and  the  pomp  of  it,  and  the  idolatrous  worship  and 
adoration  offered  to  it,  is  well  known  by  our  travel- 
lers and  officers  of  the  army. 

Philip  the  IV.,  king  of  Spain,  as  he  was  a  hunt- 
ing, met  in  the  way  a  crowd  of  people  following  a 
priest,  and  asking  the  reason,  he  was  told  that  the 
priest  carried  the  consecrated  water  in  his  bosom 
to  a  sick  person  ;  the  priest  walked,  and  the  king 


TO  POPERY.  257 

leaving  his  horse,  desired  the  priest  to  mount  and 
ride  on  it,  and  holding  the  stirrup,  bareheaded,  he 
followed  the  priest  all  the  way  to  the  house,  and 
gave  him  the  horse  for  a  present.  From  the  king 
to  the  shepherd,  all  people  pay  the  same  adoration 
to  the  holy  host,  which  shall  be  better  known  by  the 
pomp  and  magnificence  they  carry  the  great  host 
with,  in  the  solemn  festival  of  Corpus  Christi,  or 
of  Christ's  body.  I  shall  describe  only  the  general 
procession  made  on  that  day  in  Saragossa,  of  which 
I  was  an  eye-witness. 

Though  the  festival  of  corpus  Christi  be  a  move- 
able feast,  it  always  falls  on  a  Thursday.  That  day 
is  made  the  great  general  procession  of  corpus 
Christi,  and  the  Sunday  following,  every  congrega- 
tion, through  the  streets  of  the  parish,  and  every 
convent  of  friars  and  nuns  through  the  cloisters  of 
the  convent  go  with  great  pomp  to  the  private  pro- 
cession of  Christ's  body.  As  to  the  general  great 
one,  the  festival  is  ordered  in  the  following  manner. 

The  Dean  of  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator, 
sends  an  officer  to  summon  all  the  communities  of 
friars,  all  the  clergy  of  the  parish  churches,  the 
Viceroy,  governor  and  magistrates,  the  judges  of 
the  civil  and  criminal  council,  with  the  lord  chan- 
cellor of  the  kingdom  and  all  the  fraternities,  bro- 
therhoods, or  corporations  of  the  city,  to  meet  to- 
gether on  the  Thursday  following,  in  the  metropol- 
itan cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator,  witli  all  the 


258  A  MASTER-KEY* 

standards,  trumpets,  giants,*  both  of  the  greater  oi 
lesser  size  in  their  respective  habits  of  office  or  dig- 
nity ;  and  all  the  clergy  of  the  parish  churches,  and 
friars  of  convents,  to  bring  along  with  them  in  a 
procession,  with  due  reverence,  all  the  silver  bo- 
dies of  saints  on  a  base  or  pedestal,  which  are  in 
their  churches  and  convents : — Item,  orders  are 
published  in  every  street,  that  the  inhabitants,  or 
house-keepers  are  to  clean  the  streets,  which  the 
sacrament  is  to  go  through,  and  cover  the  ground 
with  greens,  and  flowers,  and  to  put  the  best  hang- 
ings in  the  fronts  of  the  balconies,  and  windows  : 
All  which  is  done  accordingly  ;  or  else  he  that  does 
not  obey  and  perform  such  orders,  is  to  pay  20  pis- 
toles without  any  excuse  whatsoever. 

At  three  in  the  afternoon,  the  vice-roy  goes  in 
state  with  the  governor,  judges,  magistrates,  and 
officers,  to  meet  the  archbishop  in  his  palace,  and 
to  accompany  his  grace  to  church,  where  all  the 
communities  of  friars,  clergy  and  coi'porations,  are 
waiting  for  them.  The  dean  and  chapter  receive 
them  at  the  great  porch,  and  after  the  archbishop 
has  made  a  prayer  before  the  great  altar,  the  mu- 

*  Three  big  giant  men,  and  three  giant  women  / 
and  six  little  ones,  drest  in  men  and  women'' s  clothes, 
made  of  thin  wood,  and  carried  by  a  man  hid  under 
the  clothes.  The  big  ones  are  fifteen  feci  high,  which 
are  kept  in  the  hall  of  the  city,  for  the  magnifcencp 
&nd  splendor  of  that  day. 


TO  POPERY.  259 

sic  begins  to  sing,  Pange  lingua  gloriosa,  while  the 
archbishop  takes  out  of  the  tabernacle  the  host  upon 
the  rich  chalice,  and  places  it  on  the  great  custo- 
dia,  on  the  altar's  table.  Then  the  choir  begins 
the  evening  songs,  in  which  the  archbishop  in  his 
pontifical  habit  officiates,  and  when  all  is  over,  his 
grace  gives  the  blessing  to  the  people  with  the  sac- 
rament in  his  hands.  Then  the  archbishop,  with 
the  help  of  the  dean,  archdeacon,  and  chanter,  pla- 
ces the  custodia  on  a  gilt  pedestal,  which  is  adorn- 
ed with  flowers  and  the  jewels  of  several  ladies  of 
quality,  and  which  is  carried  on  the  shoulders  of 
twelve  priests,  drest  in  the  same  ornaments  they 
say  mass  in.  This  being  done,  the  procession  be- 
gins to  go  out  of  the  church  in  the  following  order. 
First  of  all  the  bagpipe,  and  the  great  and  small 
giant,  dancing  all  along  the  streets.  2.  The  big 
silver  Cross  of  the  cathedral,  carried  by  a  clerk- 
priest,  and  two  young  assistants,  with  silver  candle- 
sticks and  lighted  candles.  3.  From  the  cross  to 
the  piper,  a  man  with  a  high  hook  goes  and  comes 
back  again  while  the  procession  lasts.  The  hook 
is  called  St.  Paul's  hook,  because  it  belongs  to  St. 
Paul's  church.  That  hook  is  very  sharp,  and  they 
make  use  of  it  in  that  procession,  to  cut  down  the 
signs  of  taverns  and  shops,  for  fear  that  the  holy 
custodia  should  be  spoiled.  4.  The  standard  and 
sign  of  the  youngest  corporation,  and  all  the  mem» 
hers  of  it,  with  a  wax  candle  in  their  hands,  form- 


260  A  MASTER-KEY 

ing  two  lines,  whom  all  the  corporations  follow  one 
after  another  in  the  same  order.  There  are  thirty 
corporations,  and  the  smallest  is  composed  of  thirty 
members.  5.  The  boys  and  girls  of  the  blue  hos- 
pital, with  their  master,  mistress,  and  the  chaplain 
in  his  alva,  stola,  and  long  sacerdotal  cloak.  6. 
The  youngest  religion  (the  order  of  St.  Francis,  is 
called  St.  Francis'  religion,  and  so  are  all  orders, 
which  they  reckon  seventy,  and  which  we  may  re- 
ally, in  the  phrase  of  a  satirical  gentleman,  call  sev- 
enty religions  without  religion)  with  their  reverend 
and  two  friars  more  at  the  end  of  each  order,  drest 
in  the  ornaments  they  use  at  the  altar  :  and  so  all 
the  orders  go  one  after  another  in  the  same  manner. 
There  are  twenty  convents  of  friars,  and  on  this 
solemn  festival,  every  one  being  obliged  to  go  to 
the  procession,  we  reckon  there  may  be  about  two 
thousand  present  on  this  occasion  ;  to  which  may 
be  added  sixteen  convents  of  nuns,  the  number  of 
them  by  regular  computation,  fifteen  thousand.  7. 
The  clergy  of  the  youngest  parish,  with  the  parish 
cross  before,  and  the  minister  of  it  behind  them  in 
sacred  ornaments.  And  so  the  clergy  of  the  other 
parishes  follow  one  another  in  the  same  order,  ev- 
ery friar  and  priest  having  a  white  wax  candle  light- 
ed in  his  hand. 

The  number  of  secular  priests,  constantly  residing 
in  Saragossa  is  twelve  hundred  in  that  one  town  t 
So  by  the  said  account,  we  shall  find  all  the  ecclesT" 


TO  POPERY.  261 

astical  persons  to  amount  to  four  thousand  seven 
hundred,  when  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants  come 
to  tifteen  thousand  famihes. 

8.  The  clergy  of  the  cathedrals  of  St.  Salvator, 
and  the  lady  of  Pilar,  with  all  their  sacerdotal  or- 
naments, as  also  the  musicians  of  both  cathedrals 
which  go  before  the  custodia  or  sacrament,  singing 
all  the  way.  Then  the  twelve  priests  more,  that 
carry  the  canopy,  under  which  the  sacrament  goes, 
and  under  the  end  of  it,  the  dean,  and  two  prebends, 
as  deacon  and  sub-deacon.  The  arch-bishop  in  his 
pontifical  habit  goes  at  the  sub-deacon's  right  hand, 
the  vice-roy  at  the  arch-bishop's,  and  the  deacon 
and  sub-deacon,  one  at  the  right,  and  the  other  at 
the  left,  all  under  the  canopy.  Six  priests,  with 
incense  and  incensaries  on  both  sides  of  the  custo- 
dia, go  incensing  the  sacrament  without  intermis- 
sion :  for  while  one  kneels  down  before  the  great 
host,  and  incenses  it  three  times,  the  other  puts  in- 
cense in  his  incensary,  and  goes  to  relieve  the  other, 
and  thus  they  do,  from  the  coming  out  of  the  church, 
till  they  return  back  again. 

9.  The  great  chancellor,  presidents  and  councils, 
follow  after,  and  after  all,  the  nobility,  men  and  wo- 
men, with  lighted  candles.  This  procession  lasts 
four  hours  from  the  time  it  goes  out,  till  it  comes 
into  the  church  again.  All  the  bells  of  the  convents, 
and  parishes  ring  all  this  time  ;  and  if  there  were  not 
so  many  idolatrous  ceremonies  in  that  procession,  it 


262  A  MASTER-KEY  u. 

would  be  a  great  pleasure  to  see  the  streets  so  rich' 
ly  adorned  with  the  best  hangings,  and  the  variety 
of  persons  in  the  procession. 

The  riches  of  that  procession  are  incredible  to  a 
foreigner  ;  but  matters  of  fact  (the  truth  of  which 
may  be  inquired  into)  must  be  received  by  all  se- 
rious people.  1  have  spoken  already  of  the  rich 
custodia,  which  the  Archbishop  of  Sevil  gave  to  the 
cathedral,  and  of  the  rich  chahce  set  in  diamonds. 
Now  besides  these  twa  things,  we  reckon  thirty- 
three  silver  crosses  belonging  to  convents,  and  pa- 
rish churches,  ten  feet  high,  and  about  the  thickness 
of  a  pole  of  a  coach ;  thirty-three  small  crosses 
which  the  priests  and  friars,  who  officiate  that  day, 
carry  in  their  hands ;  these  crosses,  though  small, 
are  richer  than  the  big  one  ;  because,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  cross  there  is  a  relic,  which  is  a  piece  of 
wood  (as  they  say)  of  the  cross,  on  which  our  Sa- 
viour was  crucified,  and  which  they  call  holy  wood. 
This  rehc  is  set  in  precious  stones,  and  many  of 
them  set  in  diamonds.  Thirty-three  sacerdotal 
cloaks  to  officiate  in,  made  of  Tusy  d'or,  edged 
with  pearls,  emeralds,  rubies,  and  other  rich  stones. 
Sixty-six  silver  candlesticks,  four  feet  high.  A  large 
gold  possenet,  and  a  gold  handle  in  the  hysop,  six 
incensaries,  four  of  them  silver,  and  two  of  gold  ; 
foursilver  incense  boxes,  and  two  gold  ones.  Three 
hundred  and  eighty  silver  bodies  of  saints  on  their 
rich  gilt  pedestals,  of  which  two  hundred  are  whole 


TO  POPERY.  263 

bodies,  and  the  rest  half,  but  many  are  gilt,  and  se- 
veral wear  mitres  on  their  heads,  embroidered  with 
precious  stones. 

The  image  of  St.  Michael  with  the  devil  under 
his  feet,  and  the  image  with  wings,  are  of  solid  silver 
gilt  all  over. 

With  this  magnificence  they  carry  the  sacrament 
through  the  principal  streets  of  the  city,  and  all  the 
people  that  are  in  the  balconies  and  lattice  windows 
throw  roses  and  other  flowers  upon  the  canopy  of 
the  sacrament  as  it  goes  by.  When  the  procession 
is  over,  and  the  sacrament  placed  in  the  tabernacle, 
there  is  a  stage  before  the  altar  to  act  a  sacramen- 
tal or  divine  comedy,  which  lasts  about  an  hour,  and 
this  custom  is  practised  also  on  Christmas  eve.  By 
these,  may  be  known  their  bigotries,  superstitions 
and  idolatries. 

Now  J  come  to  say  something  of  the  strange  no- 
tions the  priests  and  friars,  confessors,  and  preach- 
ers put  in  the  people's  heads,  concerning  the  host. 
First,  they  preach  and  charge  the  people  to  adore 
the  sacrament,  but  never  to  touch  the  consecrated 
host  or  wafer,  this  being  a  crime  against  the  Cath- 
olic faith,  and  that  all  such  as  dare  to  touch  it,  must 
be  burned  in  the  inquisition.  Secondly,  to  believe 
that  the  real  flesh  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  is  in  the 
Eucharist ;  and  that,  though  they  cannot  see  it,  they 
ought  to  submit  their  understanding  to  the  catholic 
faith.     Thirdly,  that  if  any  one  could  lawfully  touch 


264  A  MASTER-KF.Y 

the  host,  or  wafer,  and  prick  it  with  a  pin,  blood 
would  come  out  immediately,  which  they  pretend 
to  prove  with  many  miracles,  as  that  of  the  corpo- 
rales  of  Daroca,  which,  as  it  comes  a  propos,  I  can- 
not pass  by  without  giving  an  account  of  it. 

Daroca  is  an  ancient  city  of  the  kingdom  of  Ara- 
gon,  which  bordereth  on  Castilla.  It  is  famous  a- 
mong  the  Spaniards  for  its  situation  and  strength, 
and  for  the  mine  that  is  in  a  neighboring  mountain. 
For  the  floods  coming  with  impetuosity  against  the 
walls,  and  putting  the  city  in  great  danger,  the  in- 
habitants dug  three  hundred  yards  from  one  end  of 
the  mount  to  the  other,  and  made  a  subterranean 
passage,  and  the  floods  go  that  way,  the  city  has  ev- 
er since  been  free  from  danger.  But  it  is  yet  more 
famous  for  what  they  call  corporales.  The  story  is 
this : — When  the  Moors  invaded  Spain,  a  curate 
near  Daroca  took  all  imaginable  care  to  save  the 
consecrated  wafers,  that  were  in  the  tabernacle, 
and  not  to  see  them  profaned  by  the  infidels,  and  o- 
pen  enemies  of  their  faith.  There  were  but  five 
small  hosts  in  all,  which  he  put  with  the  fine  hoUand 
on  which  the  priest  puts  the  great  host  when  he 
says  mass :  and  this  piece  of  holland  is  called  cor- 
porales. The  Moors  were  at  that  time  near,  and 
no  body  could  make  an  escape,  and  the  priest  rea- 
dy to  loose  his  own  life,  rather  than  to  see  the  host 
profaned,  tied  the  corporales  with  the  five  wafers 
in  it,  on  a  blind  mule,  and  whipped  the  beast  out  of 


TO  POPERY.  265 

town,  said,  speed  you  well,  for  I  am  sure  that  the 
sacrament  on  your  back  will  guide  you  to  some 
place  free  from  the  enemies  of  our  religion.     The 
mule  journeyed  on;  and  the  next  day  arrived  at  Da- 
roca,  and  some  people  observed  the  corporales  tied 
with  the  holy  stola  to  the  mule's  belly,  were  surpri- 
sed at  so  rare  and  unexpected  a  thing,  and  called  a 
priest  of  the  great  parish  church,  he  came  to  the 
mule,  and  examining  the  thing,  found  the  five  wafers 
converted  into  blood,  and  stamped  on  the  hoUand 
cloth  ;  which  spots  of  blood,  (or  painting)  of  the  big- 
ness of  a  tenpenny  piece,   are  preserved  till    this 
present  time.     Then  the  priest  cried  out  a  miracle, 
t^e  clergy  in  great  devotion  and  procession  came 
with  candles  and  a  canopy,  and  taking  the  mule  un- 
der it,  went  to  the  great  church  ;  and  when  the  min- 
ister of  the  parish  had  taken  the  stola  and  corpa- 
rales  from  off  the  mule,  he  went  to  place  the  corpa- 
rales  on  the  ara  altaris,  or  the  altar's  table,  but  the 
mule  not  well   pleased  with  it,  left  the  company, 
and  went  up  to  the  steeple  or  belfry  :  then  the  par- 
ish minister  (though  not  so  wise  as  the  mule)  follow- 
ed the  mule  up  stairs,  and  seeing  the  beast  mark  a 
place  there  with  its  mouth,  he  soon  understood  that 
the  mule  being  blind,  could  neither  go  up,  nor  mark 
that  place  without  being  inspired  from  above  :  and 
having  persuaded  the  people  of  the  same,  all  agreed 
that  there  should  be  a  little  chapel  built  to  keep  the 
holy  corporales.     When  this  resolution  was  appro- 
23 


266  A   MASTER-KEY 

ved  by  the  clergy  and  laity,  the  mule  died  on  the 
steeple.  At  the  same  time  the  curate  having  made 
his  escape,  and  by  divine  inspiration  follovved  the 
mule's  steps,  came  to  Daroca,  and  telling  the  whole 
cause  of  his  putting  the  sacrament  on  the  mule  to 
save  it  from  profanation,  both  clergy  and  laity  be- 
gan to  cry  out  '  a  miracle  from  Heaven,'  and  imme- 
diately further  agreed,  that  the  mule  should  he  em- 
balmed and  kept  before  the  holy  corporales  in  the 
steeple,  ad  pcrpetuam  Rei  Memoriam  :  Item,  to 
make  a  mule  of  the  best  stone  could  be  found,  in 
honor  of  the  mule,  and  that  for  the  future  his  name 
should  be  the  holy  mule.  All  things  being  done  ac- 
cordingly, ajid  the  city  never  having  been  mastered 
by  the  moors  (as  the  inhabitants  say)  they  instituted 
a  solemn  festival,  to  which  ever  since  the  neigh- 
bours, even  fourteen  leagues  distant,  come  every 
year.  Those  that  go  up  to  the  steeple  to  see  the 
holy  miracle  of  the  wafers  converted  into  blood- 
and  the  holy  mule,  must  pay  four  reals  of  plate. 
The  people  of  Daroca  call  it  sometimes,  the  holy 
mystery,  another  time  the  holy  miracle  ;  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  mule  by  some  ignorants  ;  the  holy  sacra- 
ment on  a  mule  by  the  wise,  ^-c.  I  myself  took  a 
journey  to  see  this  wonder  of  Daroca,  and  paying 
the  fees,  went  up  to  have  a  full  view  of  every  thing ; 
and  really  I  saw  a  mule  of  stone,  and  a  coffin  where- 
in the  embalmed  mule  was  kept  (as  the  clerk  told 
me)  but  he  did  not  open  it,  for  the  key  is  kept  al- 
ways at  the  Bishop's  palace  :  I  saw  likewise  the  lin- 


TO    POPERY.  267 

en,  with  five  red  spots  in  a  little  box  of  gilt  silver, 
two  candles  always  burning  before  it,  and  a  glass 
lamp  before  the  mule's  coffin.  At  that  time  I  be- 
lieved every  part  of  the  story.  All  sorts  of  people 
believe,  as  an  infallible- truth,  that  every  one's  sight 
is  preserved  during  life,  in  the  same  degree  of 
strength  and  clearness  it  is  in  at  the  time  they  see 
these  bloody  spots,  which  is  proved  by  many  in- 
stances of  old  women,  who  by  that  means  have  ex- 
cellent eyes  to  the  last ;  and  many  other  such  in- 
credible things,  too  numerous  to  be  inserted  in  thj« 
work. 


268  A  MASTER-KEV 


OF  PURGATORY. 


If  we  may  believe  the  practices  and  doctrines  of 
the  Romish  priests  and  friars,  in  relation  to  that 
imaginary  place,  Purgatory,  it  must  indeed  be  of 
vast  extent  and  almost  infinite  capacity.  They  say 
there  are  as  many  apartments  in  it,  as  condition?, 
and  ranks  of  people  in  the  world  among  Roman 
Catholics. - 

The  intenseness  of  the  fire  in  purgatory  is  calcula- 
ted by  them  to  be  eight  degrees,  and  that  of  hell 
only  four.  But  there  is  a  great  difference  between 
these  two  fires,  viz.  that  of  Purgatory  (though  more 
intense,  active,  consuming  and  devouring)  is  but  for 
a  time,  of  which  the  souls  may  be  freed  by  the  suf- 
frages of  masses ;  but  that  of  hell  is  forever.  In 
both  places  they  say,  the  souls  are  tormented,  and 
deprived  of  the  glorious  sight  of  God,  but  the  souls 
in  purgatory  (though  they  endure  vastly  more  than 
ihose  in  hell)  have  certain  hopes  of  seeing  God  at 
some  future  period. 

Pope  Adrian  the  third  confessed  that  there  was 
»o  mention  of  purgatory  in  scripture,  or  in  the  wri- 
fthgs  of  the  holy  Fathers  ;  but  notwithstanding  this, 
the  council  of  Trent  has  settled  the  doctrine  of 
purgatory  without  alledging  any  one  passage  of  the 
holy  scripture,  and  gave  so  much  liberty  to  priests 
and  friars  by  it,  that  they  build  in  that  firey  palace. 


to  POPERY.  269 

apartments  for  kings,  princes,  grandees,  noblemen, 
merchants,  and  tradesmen,  for  ladies  of  quality,  for 
gentlemen  and  tradesmen's  wives,  and  for  poor  com- 
mon people.  These  are  the  8  apartments,  which 
answer  to  the  eight  degrees  of  intensus  ignus,  i.e. 
intense  tire  ;  and  they  make  the  people  beUeve, 
that  the  poor  people  only  endure  the  least  degree ; 
the  second  being  greater,  is  for  gentlewomen  and 
tradesmen's  wives,  and  so  on  to  the  eighth  degree, 
which  being  the  greatest  of  all,  is  reserved  for  kings. 
By  this  doctrine  they  get  gradually  masses  from  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  people,  in  proportion  to  their 
greatness.  But  as  the  poor  cannot  give  so  many 
masses  as  the  great,  the  lowest  chamber  of  purga- 
tory is  always  crowded  with  the  reduced  souls  of 
those  unfortunately/ fortunate  people,  for  they  say  to 
them,  that  the  providence  of  God  has  ordered  ev- 
ery thing  to  the  ease  of  his* creatures,  and  that  fore- 
seeing that  the  poor  people  could  not  afford  the 
same  number  of  masses  that  the  rich  could,  his  in- 
finite goodness  had  placed  them  in  a  place  of  less 
sufferings  in  purgatory. 

But  it  is  remarkable  that  many  poor  tradesmen's 
wives,  desirous  of  honour  in  the  next  world,  ask  the 
friars,  whether  the  souls  of  their  fathers,  mothers, 
or  sisters,  can  be  removed  from  the  second  apart- 
ment (reckoning  from  the  lowest)  to  the  third,  thin- 
king by  it,  that  though  the  third  degree  of  fire  is 
greater  than  the  second,  yet  the  soul  would  be  bet- 
23* 


270  A  MASTER-KEV 

ter  pleased  in  the  company  of  ladies  of  quality  ;  but 
the  worst  is,  that  the  friar  makes  such  women  b.e- 
lieve,  that  he  may  do  it  very  easily,  if  they  give  the 
same  price  for  a  mass,  the  ladies  of  quality  give,  I 
knew  a  shoemakers  wife,  very  ignorant^  proud,  and 
full  of  punctillios  of  honor,  wha  went  to  a  Francis- 
can friar,  and  told  him  that  she  desired  to  know 
whether  her  own  father^s  soul  was  in  purgatory  or 
not,  and  in  what  apartment.  The  friar  asked  her 
how  many  masses  she  could  spare  for  it,  she  said 
two  ;  and  the  friar  answered,  your  father's  soul  is 
among  the  beggars.  Upon  hearing  this,  the  poor 
woman  began  to  cry,  and  desired  the  friar  to  put 
him,  if  possible  in  the  fourth  apartment,  and  she 
would  pay  him  for  it.  The  quantam  being  settled, 
the  friar  promised  to  place  him  there  the  next  day  j 
so  the  poor  woman  ever  since  gives  out  that  her  fa- 
ther was  a  rich  merchant,  for  it  was  revealed  to  her, 
that  his  soul  is  among  the  merchants  in  Purgatory. 
Now  what  can  we  say,  but  that  the  pope  is  the 
chief  Governor  of  that  vast  place,  and  priests  and 
friars  the  quarter-masters  that  billet  the  souls  ac- 
cording to  their  own  fancies,  and  have  the  power, 
and  give  for  money  the  King's  apartments  to  the 
saul  of  a  shoemaker,  and  that  of  a  ladyof  quahty  to 
her  washer-woman. 

But  mind,  reader,  how  chaste  the  friars  are  in 
procuring  a  separate  place  for  ladies  in  purgatory  • 
they  suit  this  doctrine  to  the  temper  of  a  people 


TO  POPERY. 


271 


whom  they  beUeve  to  be  extremely  jealous,  and 
really  not  without  ground  for  it,  and  so  no  soul  of  a 
woman  can  be  placed  among  men. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  raileries  thrown  at  them, 
of  which  the  inquisitors  cannot  take  notice,  being 
not  against  the  Catholic  faith  ;  priests  and  friars 
daily  endeavour  to  prove  that  purgatory  is  a  real 
existent  place,  and  that  by  masses,  the  souls  detain- 
ed in  it  are  daily  delivered  out  of  it.  And  this  they 
prove  by  many  revelations  made  to  devout,  pious 
people  ;  and  by  apparitions. 

They  not  only  preach  of  them  publicly,  but 
books  are  printed  of  such  revelations  and  appari- 
tions. 

In  the  latter  end  of  King  Charles  the  second's 
reign,  a  nun  of  Gaudalajara  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
majesty,  acquainting  him  that  it  was  revealed  to 
her,  by  an  angel,  that  the  soul  of  his  father,  Philip 
the  IV.  was  still  in  purgatory,  in  the  royal  apart- 
ments, and  likewise  in  the  lowest  chamber,  with  the 
said  Philip's  shoemaker,  and  that  upon  saying  so 
many  masses,  both  should  be  delivered  out  of  it, 
and  should  go  to  enjoy  the  ravishing  pleasures  of 
an  eternal  life.  The  nun  was  reputed  a  saint  upon 
earth,  and  the  simple  king  gave  orders  to  his  con- 
fessor to  say,  or  order  so  many  masses  to  be  said, 
for  that  purpose  ;  after  which,  the  said  nun  wrote 
again  to  his  majesty,  congratulating  and  wishing 
him  joy  for  the  arrival  of  his  father  to  heaven  ;  hix^ 


272  A  MASTER-KEY 

that  the  shoemaker,  who  was  seven  degrees  lower 
than  Philip  in  purgatory,  was  then  seven  degrees 
higher  than  his  majesty  in  heaven,  because  of  his 
better  life  on  earth,  but  that  all  M'as  forgiven  him 
on  account  of  the  masses. 

Again,  they  say  from  the  pulpit,  that  the  pope 
has  absolute  power  to  make  the  mass  efficacious  to 
deliver  the  soul  out  of  that  place  ;  and  that  his 
holiness  can  take  at  once  all  the  souls  out  of  it ;  as 
Pius  the  Vth.  did,  (they  report)  who,  when  he  was 
cardinal,  was  very  devout,  and  a  great  procurer  of 
the  rehef  of  souls,  and  who  had  promiseiJ  them  with 
a  solemn  oath,  that,  if  by  their  prayers  in  purga- 
tory, he  should  be  chosen  pope,  then  he  would 
empty  purgatory  of  all  the  souls  at  once.  At  last 
by  the  intercession  of  the  souls  with  God  Almighty, 
he  was  elected  pope,  and  immediately  he  delivered 
all  the  souls  out  of  that  place  ;  but  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  so  angry  with  the  new  pope,  that  he  appeared 
to  him,  and  bade  him  not  do  any  such  thing  again, 
for  it  was  prejudicial  to  the  whole  clergy  and  friar- 
ship.  That  pope  delivered  all  the  souls  out  of  pur- 
gatory, by  opening  the  treasure  of  the  church,  in^ 
which  were  kept  millions  of  masses,  which  the  popes 
make  use  of  to  augment  the  riches  of  the  holy  see. 
But  he  took  care  not  to  do  it  again  ;  for  though 
quodcunque  solveritts  in  Terra,  erit,  solutum  and  in 
Ccelis,  there  is  not  specified  the  same  power  in  pur- 
gatory, therefore  ever  since,  the  popes  take  no  au- 
thority, nor  liberty  to  sweep  purgatory  at  once,  for 


TO  POPERY.  273 

it  would  prove  their  ruin,  and  reduce  the  clergy  to 
poverty. 

When  some  ignorant  people  pay  for  a  mass,  and 
are  willing  to  know  whether  the  soul,  for  which  the 
mass  is  said,  is,  after  the  mass,  delivered  out  of 
purgatory  ;  the  friar  makes  them  believe,  that  it 
will  appear  in  the  figure  of  a  mouse  within  the'tab- 
ernacle  oi'  the  altar,  if  it  is  not  out  of  it,  and  then  it 
is  a  sign  that  the  soul  wants  more  masses ;  and  if 
the  mouse  does  not  appear,  the  soul  is  in  heaven. 
So  when  the  mass  is  over,  he  goes  to  the  taberna- 
cle backwards,  where  is  a  little  door  with  a  crystal, 
and  lets  the  people  look  through  it :  But,  O  pitiful 
thing !  they  see  a  mouse  which  the  friars  keep,  and 
so  the  poor  sots  give  more  money  for  more  masses, 
till  at  length  the  mouse  disappears. 

The  second  day  of  November,  is  the  day  of  the 
souls  of  purgatory,  in  which  every  priest  and  friar 
says  three  masses,  for  the  delivery  of  so  many  souls 
out  of  the  pains  of  it.  From  three  of  the  clock  of 
the  first  day  of  November  (all  saint's  day)  till  three 
in  afternoon,  the  next  day,  all  the  souls  are  out  of 
purgatory,  and  entirely  free  from  the  pains  of  it; 
(those  four  and  twenty  hours  being  granted  by  his 
holiness  for  a  refreshment  to  them)  and  that  all  that 
while  they  are  in  the  air  diverting  themselves  and 
expecting  the  relief  of  so  many  masses,  to  get  by 
them  into  the  celestial  habitations.  On  that  day 
only,  priests  and  friars  get  more  money  tiian  they 


274  A  MASTER-KEY 

get  in  two  months  time  beside  ;  for  every  family, 
and  private  persosis  too,  give  yellow  wax  candles  to 
the  church,  and  money  for  masses  and  responsa, 
i.  8.  prayer  for  the  dead. 

When  they  preach  a  sermon  of  the  souls,  they 
make  use  of  brimstone,  and  burn  it  in  the  pulpit, 
saying,  that  such  flames  are  like  those  of  the  fire  in 
purgatory.  They  make  use  of  many  pictures  of 
the  souls  that  are  in  the  middle  of  devouring  fire, 
lifting  up  their  hands  to  heaven,  as  if  they  were 
crying  for  help  and  assistance.  They  prove  their 
propositions  with  revelations  and  apparitions,  for 
they  cannot  find  in  the  scripture  any  passage  to 
ground  their  audacious  thoughts  on,  and  such  ser- 
mons are  to  the  people  of  sense  better  diversion 
than  a  comedy. 

1  went  to  hear  ^^  old  friar,  who  had  the  name  of 
being  an  excellent  preacher,  upon  the  subject 
of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  and  he  took  his  text 
out  of  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  the  Apoc.  27th 
verse.  "  And  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it 
any  thing  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  work- 
eth  abommation ;"  by  which  he  settled  the  belief 
of  a  purgatory,  proving  by  some  romantic  authori- 
ty, that  such  a  passage  ought  to  be  understood  of 
purgatory,  and  his  chief  authority  was,  because  a  fa- 
mous interpreter,  or  expositor,  renders  the  text  thus : 
There  shall  not  enter  into  it  (meaning  heaven)  any 
thing  which  is  not  proved  by  the  fire,   as  silver 


TO    POPERY.  275 

is  purified  by  it.  When  he  had  proved  this  text  he 
came  to  divide  it,  and  which  he  did  under  these 
three  heads  :  1st,  that  the  souls  suifer  in  purgatory 
three  sorts  of  torments,  of  which  the  first  was  fire, 
and  that  greater  than  the  fire  of  hell.  2dly,  to  be 
deprived  of  the  face  of  God  :  And  3dly,  which  was 
the  greatest  of  all  torments,  to  see  their  relations 
and  friends  on  earth  diverting  themselves,  and  ta- 
king so  little  care  to  relieve  them  out  of  those  ter- 
rible pains.  The  preacher  spoke  very  little  of  th^ 
two  first  points,  but  he  insisted  upon  the  third  a  long 
hour,  taxing  the  people  of  ingratitude  and  inhuman- 
ity ;  and  that  if  it  was  possible  for  any  of  the  living 
to  experience,  only  for  a  moment,  that  devouring 
flame  of  purgatory,  certainly  he  would  come  again, 
and  sell  whatever  he  had  in  the  world,  and  give  it 
for  masses  :  and  what  a  pity  it  is  (said  he)  to  know 
that  the  souls  of  many  of  my  hearers'  relations  are 
there,  and  none  of  them  endeavouring  to  relieve 
them  from  that  place. 

He  went  on  and  said  :  I  have  a  catalogue  of  the 
souls,  which,  by  revelation  and  apparition,  we  are 
sure  are  in  purgatory  ;  for  in  the  first  place,  the  soul 
of  such  a  one  (naming  the  soul  of  a  rich  merchant's 
father)  appeared  the  other  night  to  a  godly  person, 
in  the  figure  of  a  pig,  and  the  devout  persojj,  know- 
ing that  the  door  of  his  chamber  was  locked  up,  be- 
gan to  sprinkle  the  pig  with  holy  water,  and  conju- 
rmghim,  bade  him  speak  and  tell  him  what  he  wan- 


276  A    MASTER-KEY 

ted  ?  And  the  pig  said,  I  am  the  soul  of  such  an 
one,  and  1  have  been  in  purgatory  these  ten  years 
for  want  of  help.  When  I  left  the  world,  I  forgot  to 
tell  my  confessor  where  I  left  1000  pistoles,  which  I 
had  reserved  for  masses  ;  my  son  found  them  out, 
and  he  is  such  an  unnatural  child,  that  he  doth  not 
remember  my  pitiful  condition  ;  and  now  by  the 
permission  of  heaven  I  come  to  you,  and  command 
you  to  discover  this  case  to  the  first  preacher  you 
meet ;  that  he  may  publish  it,  and  tell  my  son,  that 
if  he  doth  not  give  that  money  for  masses  for  my  re- 
lief, I  shall  be  forever  in  purgatory,  and  his  soul 
shall  certainly  go  to  hell. 

The  credulous  merchant,  terrified  with  this  story, 
beleiving  every  title  of  it,  got  up  before  all  the  peo- 
ple and  went  into  the  vestry,  and  when  the  friar  had 
finished,  he  begged  of  him  to  go  along  with  him  to 
his  house,  where  he  should  receive  the  money, 
which  he  did  accordingly,  for  fear  of  a  second 
thought ;  and  the  merrhant  gave  freely  tlie  1 000 
pistoles,  for  fear  that  his  father's  soul  should  be  kept 
in  purgatory  and  he  himself  go  to  hell. 

And  besides  these  cheats  and  tricks  they  make 
use  of  themselves  to  exact  money,  they  have 
their  solicitors  and  agents,  that  go  from  one  house 
to  another,  telling  stories  of  apparitions,  and 
revelations,  and  these  arc  they  which  we  call  Bea- 
tas  and  Devotas  ;  for  as  their  modesty  in  appar- 
el, their  hypocritical  air,   and   daily  exercises  of 


TO  POPERY.  277 

confessing  and  receiving  is  well  known  in  the  world, 
the  common  people  have  so  good  an  opinion  of 
them,  that  they  believe,  as  an  article  of  faith,  what- 
ever stories  they  tell,  without  further  inquiry  into 
the  matter  :  So  those  cunning  disguised  devils,  (or 
worse,)  instructed  by  the  friar  their  confessor,  go 
and  spread  abroad  many  of  these  apparitions,  by 
which  they  get  a  great  deal  of  money  for  masses, 
which  they  give  to  the  father  confessor. 

Nay,  of  late,  the  old  nuns,  those  that,  to  their 
grief,  the  world  despises,  have  undertaken  the  trade 
of  publishing  revelations  and  apparitions  of  souls  iii 
purgatory,  and  give  out  that  such  a  soul  is,  and  shall 
be  in  it,  until  the  father,  mother,  or  sister,  go  to 
such  a  friar  and  give  him  so  many  masses,  which 
he  is  to  say  himself  and  no  other.  And  the  case 
is,  that  by  agreement  between  the  old  skeleton,  and 
the  (^vetous  father,  he  is  to  give  her  one  third  of 
all  the  masses  that  he  receives  by  her  means  and 
application.  So  you  see  the  nature  of  this  place  of 
purgatory,  the  apartments  in  it,  the  degrees  of  the  fire 
of  it,  the  means  the  priests  and  friars  rfiake  use  of 
to  keep  in  repair  that  profitable  palace  ;  and  above 
all,  the  stupidity  and  bhndness  of  the  people  to  be- 
lieve such  dreams  as  matters  of  fact.  What  now 
can  the  Roman  Catholics  say  for  themselves  ?  Pro- 
bably that  1  am  a  deceiver  and  an  impostor.  The 
Jews  said  of  our  Saviour,  some  that  he  was  a  good 
man  ;  others  said,  nay  but  he  deceiveth  the  people, 
24 


11/8  A  MASTER-KEY 

when  he  was  tcHing  the  truth.  I  shall  not  therefore 
be  surprised  at  any  calumnies  dispersed  by  them  ; 
for  I  say  before  God  and  the  world,  that  I  have 
written  the  truth. 

I  could  have  related,  in  the  course  of  this  work, 
deeds,  transacted  by  the  priesthood,  more  horrid 
than  the  imagination  could  possibly  picture.  But  a 
sense  of  modesty  has  obliged  me  to  withhold  them. 

To  shew  what  reliance  may  be  placed  upon  that 
which  I  have  thought  proper  to  narrate,  1  will  state 
the  following  circumstance.  A  lady  of  distinction, 
coming  in  possession  of  a  copy  of  my  book,  was  not 
disposed  to  give  full  credence  to  its  authenticity, 
without  a  test.  For  that  purpose  she  placed  it  in 
the  hands  of  a  learned  priest,  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
order,  with  a  request  that  he  would  correct  such 
parts  of  it  as  he  might  find  erroneous,  or  untrue. 
But  the  book  was  eventually  returned  with  but  five 
passages  marked,  and  those  of  trifling  consequence. 

How  long  these  tygers,  in  human  form  will  be 
permitted  to  prowl  upon  the  earth,  "  seeking  whom 
they  may  devour,"  is  not  given  to  us  to  know.  But 
the  time  must  come,  when  the  vengeance  of  Al- 
mighty God  will  rest  upon  them  in  terrible  justice  : 
When  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  church,  and 
sweep  from  its  altars  the  doers  of  iniquity,  with  the 
besom  of  destruction. 


A 

SKETCH  OF  THE  LIVES 

OP  THE 

POPES  OF  ROME, 

AND  THEIR  SUCCESSION. 

I.  St.  Peter,  was  crucified  at  Rome,  with  his  head  downwardsj 
and  was  buried  near  the  Vatican,  in  the  Aureliaa  way,  not  far 
fr  pru  the  gardens  of  Nero,  havinj;  Sdt  (saith  Platina)  in  that 
see,  twenty-five  years.  He,  together  with  the  apostle  Paul, 
was  put  to  death  in  the  last  year  of  Nero's  reign,  A.  D.  67, 
and  was  succeeded  by 

II.  Linus,  by  nation  a  i'uscan,  who  continued  from  the  last  year 
of  Nero,  to  the  times  of  ■  espasian,  the  emperor,  and  was  mar- 
tyred by  Saturninus,  the  consul,  A.  D.  78.     He  sat  11  years. 

III.  Cletus,  (or  Aiiaclelus)  a  Koman  :  he  was  martyred  under 
D^mi'ian,  A.  D.  91,  and  his  body  laid  in  the  Vatican,  near  to 
that  of  St.  Peter,  after  he  had  sat  12  years,  1  month,  and  1 1 
days. 

IV.  Clement,  a  Roman,  a  modest  and  holy  man ;  he  was  thrown 
into  the  sea  with  ap  anchor  tied  about  his  neck,  in  the  third 
year  of  Trajan,  A.  D.  100,  having  sat  9  years,  2  months  and 
10  days. 

V.  Euaristus,  a  Grecian  :  he  ordained  that  the  people's  accusa- 
tion should  not  be  received  against  a  bishop.  He  sat  8  years, 
10  months  and  "Z  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  108. 

VI.  Alexander,  the  first,  a  Roman,  young  in  years,  but  old  in  his 
composed  manners  :  he  ordered  that  holy  water,  mixed  with 
salt  should  be  used  ;  and  that  water  mixed  with  wine,  should 
be  in  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper.     He  sat  8  years,  7 

•  months,  ar\d  2  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  116. 

VII.  Sixtus,  the  first  a  Roman,  ordered  that  holy  things  and  ves- 
sels, sliould  be  touched  by  none  but  ministers  ;  and  that  priests 
should  minister  in  linen  surplices.  He  was  buried  in  the  Vati- 
can, A.  D.  \26,  having  sat  10  years,  3  months,  and  21  days. 

VIII.  i'elesphorus,  a  Grecian,  instituted  the  Lent  of  seven  weeks 
before  Easter,  and  the  celebration  of  the  masses  in  the  night  of 
our  Saviour's  birth.  He  sat  7  years,  3  months,  and  22  days, 
and  died,  A.  D.  137. 


280  POPES  OF   ROME. 


(X.  Hyginus,  a  Grecian  of  Athens  :  he  ordained  that  one  god- 
father or  god-mother,  at  least,  should  be  present  at  the  bap- 
tism of  a  child.  He  sat  4  years,  3  months,  and  4  days,  and 
died,  A.  D.  141. 

X.  Pius,  the  first,  an  Italian  :  he  ordained  that  none  of  the  Jewish 
heresy  should  be  received  to  baptism  ;  that  the  feast  of  the 
passuver  should  he  on  Sunday.  He  sat  16  years,  4  months  and 
3  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  167. 

XI.  Anicetus,  a  Syrian,  was  crowned  with  martyrdom.  A,  D. 
168,  and  buried  in  the  church-yard  of  Calistus,  in  the  Appian 
way,  having  sat  11  years,  4  months  and  3  days. 

XII.  Sorter,  a  Campanian,  sat  9  years,  3  months,  and  21  days  ; 
died,  A.  D.  177. 

XIII.  Elutherius,  a  Grecian,  of  Nicopolis  :  he  sent  Fugatius  and 
Damianus  into  Britain,  at  the  request  of  king  Lucius,  to  bap- 
tize hira  and  his  people.  He  sat  15  years,  3  mouths,  and  2 
days,  and  died,  A.  D.  19^. 

XIV.  Victor,  the  first,  an  African  :  in  his  time  was  the  controver- 
sy about  the  keeping  of  Easter.  He  sat  9  years,  3  months, 
and  10  days. 

XV.  Zi-phyriuus,  a  Roman  succeeded  him,  A.  D.  201.  He  or- 
dained that  'viuv^  in  the  sacrament  should  be  consecrated  in  a 
vessel  of  glass,  and  not  of  wood  as  before.  He  sat  18  yeara^ 
7  months  and  10  days. 

XVI.  Calistus,  the  first,  succeeded  Zephyrinus,  A.  D.  219,  a  na- 
tive of  Ravenna,  ordained  a  three-fold  fast  in  the  year,  in  the 
fourth,  seventh,  and  tenth  months,  beginning  the  year  as  the 
Jews  do.     He  sat  5  years,  10  months,  and  10  days. 

XVII.  Urbanus,  the  first,  a  Roman,  ordained  that  churches  should 
receive  farms  and  lands,  given  by  devout  persons,  and  the  rev- 
enues to  be  parted  among  the  clergy.  He  was  martyred,  A. 
D.  231,  having  sat  6  years,   10  months  and  12  days. 

XVIII.  Pontianus  a  Roman,  was  banished  into  Sardinia,  where 
he  suffered  great  torments  for  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
died,  A.  D.  23.5,  having  sat  4  years,  5  months,  and  2  days. 

\IX.  Anteras,  a  Grecian  :  he  ordered  that  the  noble  acts  of  the 
martyrs  should  be  recorded,  and  kept  in  the  treasury  of  the 
church.  He  was  martyred,  A.  D.236,  havmg  sat  only  1  month 
and  12  days. 

XX.  Fabianus,  a  Roman  :  he  ordained  that  the  chrism  in  the 
Lord's  supper  should  be  renewed  every  year,  and  the  old  one 
burnt  in  the  church.  He  was  martyred,  A.  D.  250,  having  sat 
14  years  1 1  months,  and  1 1  days.  After  him  was  a  vacancy  of 
18  months. 

XXI.  Cornelius,  a  Roman,  obtained  the  see,  A.  D.251.  He  was 
banished  and  then  beheaded,  having  sat  2  years,  2  months,  and 
3  days 

XXI.  Lucius,  the  first,  a  Roman,  succeeded,  A.  D.  253,  and  was 
martyred  ;  having  sat  2  years,  Smonths.  and  3  days. 


POPES  OF  ROME.  281 

XXtll.  Stephanus  the  first,  a  Roman  ;  a  controversy  fell  out  be- 
tween h.ra  and  St  Cyprian,  concerning  the  re-baptising  of 
those  baptised  by  heretics,  which  Cyprian  would  not  allow, 
but  Stephanus  was  strenuous  for.  He  was  beheaded,  A.  D. 
257  ;  having  sat  2  years,  5  months,  and  2dajs. 

XXIV.  Si\tus,  the  second,  an  Athenian  :  while  he  endeavoured 
to  refute  and  extinguish  the  Chiliasts,  was  taken,  accused,  and 
martyred,  A.  D.  259.     He  sat  2  years,  10   months,   and  23 

.days. 

XXV.  Dionvsius,  withstood  to  his  power  the  pride  and  heresy  of 
Paulus  Sa'mosatinus.  He  is  said  to  have  converted  the  wife 
and  daughter  of  the  e.mperor  Decius.  He  died,  A.  D.  271, 
baring  sat  12  years,  2  months,  and  4  days. 

XXVI.  Fceiix,  the  tirst :  he  appointed  yearly  sacrifices  in  memo- 
ry of  the  martyrs  ;  that  no  mass  should  be  said,  but  by  sacred 
persons,  and  in  consecrated  places,  except  upon  pressing  ne- 
cessity. He  died  a  martyr,  A.  D.  275,  and  sat  4  years,  3 
months,  and  fifteen  days. 

XXVII.  Eutychianus,  a  Tuscan  :  he  is  reported  to  have  buried 
with  his  own  hands,  three  hundred  and  forty-two  martyrs,  and 
to  have  blest  grapi-s  and  beans  and  such  like  upon  the  altar, 
and  would  have  the  martyrs  buried  in  purple.  He  was  mar- 
tyred, \.  D.  283,  having  sat  9  years,  1  month  and  1  day. 

XXVIII.  Caius,  of  Dahnatia,  was  a  kinsman  to  Dioclesian  the 
emperor  :  his  brother  Gabinus  had  a  daughter  called  Susanna, 
who  should  have  married  the  emperor  Galerius  ;  but  all  these 
were  martyred.  Caius  sat  13  years  4  months,  and  11  days  : 
he  died,  A.  D.  296. 

XXIX.  iVIarcellinus,  a  Roman,  out  of  fear,  oflTered  incense  t« 
Mars,  for  which  he  was  questioned  by  the  council  of  Sinuesa, 
but  no  man  condemned  him.  Repenting  his  fear,  he  reproached 
the  tyrant  to  his  face,  and  was  martyred,  A.  D.  304.  He  sat 
8  years,  2  months,  and  16  days. 

XXX.  Marcellus  the  first,  a  Roman  :  Maxentius  was  incensed  a- 
gainst  him,  because  Lucina,  a  noble  matron,  had  made  the 
church  her  heir,  hereupon  the  holy  man  was  doomed  to  keep 
beasts  in  a  stable,  and  was  choaked  by  the  stench  and  filth,  A. 
D.  309.     He  sat  5  years,  6  months  and  21  days. 

XXXI.  Eusebius,  a  Grecian  :  (his  father  a  physician)  the  cross  of 
Christ  was  found  in  his  time,  by  Judas,  a  Jew,  and  adorned  and 
honored  by  Helena,  the  mother  of  Constantine.  He  died,  A. 
D.  311,  having  sat  2years,  1  month,  and  3  days. 

XXXII.  Melchiades,  an  African  :  Constantme  gave  him  the  house 
of  Plautinus  Lateranus,  proscribed  by  Nero,  which  hath  con- 
tinued to  this  day  by  the  name  of  the  Laterati  palace.  He 
died,  A.  D.  314,  having  sat  3  years,  7  months,  and  9  days. 

XXXIII.  Sylvester,  the  first,  a  Roman,  is  said  to  have  baptised 
Constaatine  the  emperor,  others  say  it  was  done  by  Eusebius  of 

9-\  * 


282  POPES  OF  ROME. 

Nicodemia.  Constantine  appoined  this  man  to  wear  a  crowu 
of  gold.  He  sat  22  years,  10  months,  and  11  days,  and  died, 
A.  D.336. 

XXXIV.  Marcus,  the  first,  a  Roman,  brought  in  the  singing  of  the 
Nicene  creed,  and  the  giving  of  the  pall  to  the  bishop  of  Ostia. 
He  sat  8  months  and  20  days. 

XXXV.  Julius,  the  first,  a  Roman:  Athanasius  made  his  creed  in 
his  time  at  Rome,  which  was  then  approved  by  Julius  and  his 
clergy.  He  ordained  prothonotaries  to  register  the  acts  of  the 
church.  He  sat  16  years,  2  months,  and  6  days,  and  died,  A. 
D.  352. 

XXXVI.  Liberius,  the  first,  a  Roman,  either  through  fear  or  am- 
bition, subscribed  to  Arianism  and  Athenasius'  condemnation  ; 
but  recovered  himself,  and  sat  15  years,  3  months,  and  4  days, 
and  died,  A.  D.  367. 

XXXVII.  Foelix,  the  second,  a  Roman,  was  intruded  on  the  see, 
by  order  of  the  emperor  Constantius,  during  the  exile  of  Libe- 
rius, in  355.  Foelix  condescended  to  communicate  with  the 
Arians,  though  he  was  none  of  them  ;  but  afterwards  in  a  tu- 
mult, A.  D.  358,  he  was  driven  away  by  them,  and  Liberius 
re-instated.     He  died,  A.  D.  375. 

XXXVIII.  Damasus,  the  first,  a  Spaniard,  succeeded  Liberius, 
A.  D.  367.  He  accursed  usurers,  and  appointed  Gloria  Patri, 
&c.  to  close  up  every  psalm.  He  sat  18  years,  3  months,  and 
11  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  385. 

XXXIX.  Syricus,  the  first,  a  Roman  :  he  excluded  them  that 
were  twice  married,  and  admitted  monks  into  holy  ordeis.  In 
his  time  the  temple  of  Serapis  was  demolished  and  the  idol 
broken.  He  sat  13  years,  1 1  months,  and  25  days,  and  died, 
A.D.  398. 

XL.  Anastasius,  the  first,  a  Roman  ;  he  was  careful  to  repress 
the  errors  of  Origen,  and  was  the  first  that  brought  in  the  stan- 
ding up  at  the  reading  of  the  gospel.  He  sat  4  years  and  10 
days,  and  died,  A.  D.  402. 

XLI.  Innocentius,  the  first,  an  Alban,  a  great  stickler  against  the 
Pelagians  :  in  his  time,  Alaricus  plundered  Rome  :  Innocen- 
tius being  then  at  Ravenna.  He  sat  15  years,  2  months,  and 
25  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  417. 

XLII.  Zozemus,  brought  the  use  of  tapers  into  the  church,  for- 
bade priests  to  drink  in  public,  or  servants  to  be  admitted  into 
the  priesthood.  He  sat  1  year,  3  months,  and  12  days,  and 
jdied,  A.  D.  418. 

XLIII.  Bonifacius,  the  first,  a  Roman,  the  son  of  Jocundus,  a 
priest ;  he  was  chosen  in  a  tumult  and  sedition  of  the  clergy  ; 
was  opposed  by  Eulalius,  the  deacon,  but  at  last  carried  it  a- 
gainst  him.     He  sat  5  years,  8  months,  and  7  days. 

XLIV.  Coelestinus,  the  first,  a  Campanian  :  he  sent  Germanns 
and  Lupus  into  England,  Paladius  into  Scotland,  and  Patrick 


POPES  OF  ROME.  2S'S 

mto  Ireland.     He  first  caused  the  psalms  to  besung  in  Antipho- 
ny.     He  sat  9  years  and  10  mouths,  and  died,  A.  D.432. 

XLV.  Sixtus,  the  third  ;  he  was  accused  by  one  Bassus  for  se- 
ducing a  nun,  but  was  acquitted  by  the  synod,  and  his  accuser 
sent  into  exile.  He  built  much,  and  therefore  had  the  title  oV 
enricher  of  the  church.     He  sat  8  years  and  died,  A.  D.  440. 

XL VI.  Leo,  the  first,  dissuaded  Attila  from  sacking  Rome,  Peter 
and  Paul  terrifying  the  Hun,  while  Leo  spake  to  him.  In  his 
time,  the  Venetians  settled  themselves  in  the  gulph,  now  so  fa- 
mous. He  sat  21  years,  1  month,  and  13  days,  and  died,  A. 
D.  46L 

XL  VII.  Hilarius,  the  first:  in  his  time  was  the  rectifying  of  the 
golden  number,  by  Victorinus  of  Aquitain,  and  the  bringing  in 
of  the  Litany,  by  Mamerius  Claudius,  of  ^'ienn^.  He  sat  6 
years,  3  months,  and  10  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  467. 

XL VIII.  iSimplicius,  the  first,  a  Tiburtine  :  he  took  upon  himself 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  church  of  Ravenna  ;  decreed  that  none 
of  the  clergy  should  hold  the  benefice  of  a  layman.  He  sat  16 
years,  1  month,  and  7  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  483. 

XLIX.  Felix,  the  third,  son  of  a  Pi.oman  priest,  decreed  that  no 
church  should  be  consecrated  but  by  a  bishop;  opposed  the 
proposal  of  union  by  the  emperor  Zeno,  to  the  great  confusion 
of  the  Eastern  and  Western  churches  ;  sat  9  years,  and  died, 
A.  U.  492. 

L.  Gelasius,  the  first,  an  African,  ordered  the  canon  of  scripture, 
branding  as  counterfeit  books,  some  that  before  passed  for  can- 
onical or  authentic ;  banished  the  Manichees,  and  burned  their 
books.  He  sat  4  years,  8  months,  and  17  days,  and  died,  A. 
D. 49«. 

LI.  Anastasius,  the  second,  a  Roman,  excommunicated  Anasta- 
sius  the  Greek   emperor,  for  favouring  the  heretic   Acatius, 
whose  heresy  he  afterwards  himself  favoured.     He  sat  1  year, 
10  months,  and  24  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  498. 
Lll.  Symmachus,  the  first,  a  Sardinian,  succeeded  in  opposition 
to  Laurentius  :  he  was  a  lover  of  the  poor,  and  bountiful  to  the 
exiled  bishops  and  clergy      He  sat  16  years,  6  months,  and  22 
days,  and  died,  A.  D.  514. 
LIII.  Hormisdas,  the  first  ;  the  emperor  Justinius  sent  him  his 
ambassadors  with  the  confirmation  of  the  authority  of  the   a- 
postolic  see.     He  condemned  the  Eutychians  in  a  provincial 
synod  ;  sat  9  years  and  18  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  523. 
LIV.  Johannes,  the  first,  a  Tuscan,  a  man  of  great  learning  and 
piety  ;  was  cast  into  prison  by  Theodoric,  and  there  killed  by 
the  stench  and  filth  of  it,  A.  D.  526.     He  sat  3  years,  and  8 
months. 
LV.  Fcelix,  the  fourth,  a  Samnite,  excommunicated  the  patri- 
arch of  Constantinople  ;  divided  the  chancel  from  the  church  ; 
commanded  extreme  unction  to  be  used  to  dying  men.     He  sat 
4  years,  2  months,  and  13  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  530. 


284  POPES  OF  ROME. 

LVI.  Bonifacius  the  second,  a  Roman,  decreed  that  no  bishop 
should  choose  his  successor ;  and  that  no  pope  (if  it  might  be) 
should  be  chosen  within  three  days  after  his  predecessor's  death. 
He  sat  2  years  and  2  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  532. 

LVII.  Johannes,  the  second,  a  Roman,  condemned  Anthemius,'the 
patriarch  of  Constantinople  ;  wassurnamed  Mercury  for  his  elo- 
quence.    He   sat  3  years,  and  4  months,  and  died,  A.  D,  535. 

LVIIi.  Agapetus,  the  first,  a  Roman  :  sent  ambassador,  by  king 
Tiieodatus,  to  pacify  Justinian  the  emperor,  for  the  death  of 
the  noble  and  learned  queen  Amalasuntha.  He  sat  11  months 
and  19  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  536. 

LIX.  Sylverius,  a  Campanian  ;  was  deposed  by  the  empress,  for 
refusing  to  put  out  Menna  and  restore  Antlieraius,  her  favourite. 
He  died  in  exile,  A.  D.  540,  having  sat  1  year,  5  months,  and 
12  days  ;  and  his  death  was  in  the  third  year  of  his  exile  ;  in 
the  isle  of  Calmaria. 

LX.  Virgilius,  the  first,  was  made  pope  by  the  empress  and  Beli- 
sarius,  during  the  life  of  Sylverius ;  but  for  breach  of  promise, 
to  the  empress,  was  brought  to  Constantinople,  there,  with  a 
halter  about  his  neck,  drawn  about  the  streets  and  banished, 
by  Justinian  ;  but  soon  after  he  was  recalled  to  Rome  ;  and 
died  on  his  journey  to  Syracuse,  A.  D.  555  He  sat  15  years, 
7  months,  and  20  days,  after  the  death  of  Sylverius. 

LXI.  Pelagius,  the  first,  ordained  that  heretics  and  schismatics 
should  be  punished  with  temporal  death  ;  and  that  no  man,  foi 
money,  should  be  admitted  into  orders.  He  sat  4  years,  10 
months,  and  28  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  559. 

LXII.  Johannes,  the  third  ;  in  his  time  the  Armenians  received 
the  faith  of  Christ.  He  was  settled  in  his  chair  by  Narses  ; 
and  sat  13  years,  11  months,  and  26  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  573. 

LXlil.  Benedictus,  the  first,  a  Roman  ;  in  his  time  the  Lombards 
foraged  Italy  ;  the  grief  of  this,  and  other  calamities  in  Italy, 
occasioned  the  death  of  this  pope,  A.  D.  577.  He  sat  4  years, 
1  month,  and  28  days. 

LXIV.  Pelagius,  the  second,  a  Roman  ;  was  made  pope  during 
the  seige  of  the  city  by  the  Lombards,  without  the  emperor's 
consent,  which  election  he  sent  Gregory  to  excuse.     He  sat  13^ 
years,  2  months,  and  10  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  590. 

LXV.  Gregorius,  the  first,  surnamed  the  Great,  called  himself 
Servus  Servorum  Dei ;  sent  Austin  into  England  to  convert  the 
Eastern  Saxons  ;  and  withslood  the  claim  of  Universal  bish- 
op, or  Head  of  the  church.  He  sat  13  years,  5  months,  and 
10  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  604. 

LXVI.  Sabinianus,  the  first,  the  last  of  the  Roman  Bishops,  who 
declined  that  arrogant  title,  of  Universal  bishop,  or  Head  of 
the  church  ;  he  opposed  all  that  Gregory  had  done  ;  distin- 
guished the  hours  of  offices  ;  sat  1  year,  5  months,  and  9  days, 
and  died,  A.  D.  606. 

LXVll.  Bonifacius,  the  third :  obtained  of  Phocas,  the  murderer 


POPES    OF    ROME.  285 

ofhislord,  that  popish  supremacy  which  to  this  day  is  so  much 
stood  upon;  and  volucuus  and  jubemus  to  be  the  style  used  by 
this  priest.  He  enjoyed  his  pomp  but  a  short  time  ;  for  he 
sat  but  9  months,  dyin^  in  Xovember,  606. 

LXvI'l.  Bonafacius,  the  fourth  :  he  instituted  All-hallow-day ; 
dedicated  the  temple  of  Pantheon  to  the  Virgin  Mary;  made 
his  father's  house  a  monastery,  and  died,  A.  D.  614;  having 
sat  7  years,  8  months,  and  13  days. 

LXIX.  Deus  Dedit,  the  first,  a  Roman :  he  loved  and  enriched 
the  clergy  ;  is  said  to  have  cured  a  leper  with  a  kiss.  He 
died,  having  sat  only  3  years  and  23  days,  A.  U.  617. 

LXX.  Bonifacius,  the  fifth,  u  Campanian  :  he  privile;jed  murder- 
ers and  thieves  that  took  sanctuary  in  the  churches,  and  de- 
creed that  the  hands  of  justice  should  not  pluck  them  thence. 
He  died,  A.  D.  625  ;  having  sat  8  years  and  10  days.  After 
his  death  was  a  vacancy  for  one  year. 

LXXl.  Honorius,  the  first :  he  coveied  the  church  of  saint  Peter 
with  the  brazen  tiles  taken  from  the  capitol.  He  also  institu- 
ted the  feast  of  the  exaltation  of  the  cross,  and  died,  A.  D.  639 ; 
having  sat  12  years,  11  months,  and  17  days. 

LXXll.  Severinus,  the  first,  a  Roman ;  in  his  time  haacius,  the 
exarch  of  Italy,  took  away  the  Lateran  treasure,  to  pay  his 
soldiers,  tor  which  the  pope  dared  not  excommunicate  him : 
he  sat  2  months  only. 

LXXllI.  Johannes,  the  fourth,  a  Dalmatian ;  with  the  remain- 
der of  the  treasure  redeemed  some  exiles  of  his  countrymen ; 
he  busied  himself  about  the  celebration  of  Easier,  and  transla- 
tion of  the  bones  of  martyrs  ;  sat  upwards  of  2  years,  and  died, 
A.  D.641. 

LXXIV.  Theodoras,  the  first,  a  Grecian,  son  to  the  bishop  of  Je- 
rusalem ;  he  deprived  Pj'rrhus,  patriarch  of  Consiantiiiople, 
for  the  heresy  of  the  Acephali  :  he  died,  A.  D.  619,  having  sat 
8  years,  5  months,  and  18yays. 

LXXV.  Martinus,  the  first,  an  Italian;  ordained  priests  to  shave 
their  polls  and  keep  themselves  single ;  he  excommunicated 
Paulus,  patriarch  of  Constantujople,  for  which  he  was  banish- 
ed into  Fontus,  where  he  died,  A.  D.  655.  Ae  sat  6  years,  1 
m-nth,  and  26  days. 

LXXVI.  Eugenius,  was  less  active  and  sped  better ;  he  ordain- 
ed that  bishops  should  have  prisons  for  their  priests,  to  re- 
pre  s  their  over-boldn.ss.  He  sat  only  6  months  :  died,  A.  D. 
655. 

LXXV  II.  Vitalianus,  the  first,  brought  the  first  organ  into  the  di- 
vine service  of  the  church  of  Rome;  he  excommunicated  ia- 
rus,  tlie  archbishop  of  P^avenna.  Theodorus  and  Adrian  were 
sent  by  him  into  England  to  introduce  the  Latin  service.  He 
sat  14  years  and  6  mouths  ;  and  died.  A-  D.  669. 

LXX VII!.  Adeodatus,  the  first,  was  formrriy  a  monk:  earth- 
quakes, comets,  and  tempests,  such  as  nevev  were  before,  did 


286  POPES    OF    ROME. 

amaze  men  in  h^s  time.  He  died,  A.  D.  676  ;  having  sat  7 
years,  2  months,   and  3  days. 

LXXiX.  Domnus,  the  first,  had  the  church  of  Ravenna  subjected 
to  him,  by  I  heodnnis  the  archbishop,  wliich  before  that  time 
had  pretended  equahly  with  that  of  R(.me.  He  adorned  the 
church  porch  of  saint  Feter  with  marble  ;  sat  two  years,  and 
died,  A.  D.  678. 

LXXX.  Agato,  the  first,  a  Sicilian ;  ordained  that  the  pope's 
sanctions  should  be  as  fiinily  iiept  as  those  of  the  apostles.  He 
sent  John,  abbot  o/'  St.  iartins,  mto  England,  to  have  our 
church  service  in  tune,  and  witli  other  superstitious  injunctions. 
He  is  said  to  have  died  of  the  pl<igue;  sat  ^5  years,  6  months, 
and  \b  days,  and  difd,  A-  U.  (^83. 

LXXXl.  Leo,  the  second,  a  Sicilian,  skilled  in  Greek,  Latin, 
and  music  :  he  ratified  thi  sixth  cynod  to  confirm  the  mass,  and 
restrain  the  western  priests'  marriages  ;  and  brouglit  in  the 
kissing  of  the  slipper.     He  sat  only  10  months. 

LXXXII.  Benedictus,  the  second,  a  Roman  :  he  go+  to  be  first 
styled  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  that  the  popes  should  be  freely 
elected  by  the  clergy,  without  the  consent  of  the  exarchs  or 
emperors  :  this  pope  (as  his  predecessoi)  sat  but  lO  months. 

LXXXlll.  Johannes,  the  fifth,  a  Syrian,  was  consecrated  by  the 
three  bishops  of  Ostium,  Portos  and  Valiturnum.  He  died  in 
tlie  first  year  of  his  popedom,  the  manner  of  his  consecration 
being  observed  by  his  successors. 

LXXXl V.  Conon,  the  first,  a  Thracian,  sent  saint  Killian,  the 
Scot,  and  some  others,  to  convert  some  places  in  Germany, 
where  they  were  martyred.  He  sickened  upon  his  election, 
sat  only  11  months,  and  died,  A  D.  686. 

LXXXV.  Sergius,  the  first,  a  Syrian  ;  for  refusing  to  receive  the 
canons  of  rrulln,  was  sent  for  by  the  emperor,  but  rescued  by 
the  It;  lians.  He  was  taxed  with  adultery  :  sat  14  years,  8 
months,  and  died,  A.  D.  700. 

LXXXV L  Johannes  the  sixth,  a  Grecian  :  some  say  that  he  was 
famous  for  feeding  the  poor  in  a  great  famine,  and  that  he  died 
a  martyr.     He  sat  4  years,  3  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  705. 

LXXXV II.  Johannes,  the  seventh;  sat  3  years,  7  months,  and 
17  (lavs  ;  and  died,  A.  D.   708. 

LXXXVill.  Sisemus,  the  first:  this  man  had  the  gout,  both  in 
his  hands  and  feet  •,  he  left  provisions  and  materials  for  the 
city  wa'ls  and  temples.  He  sat  but  3  weeks  :  it  is  suspected 
he  had  foul  play. 

LXXXIX.  Constantius,  the  first :  going  to  Constantinople,  Jus- 
tinian, the  second,  kissed  his  feet  in  sign  of  honour,  which  the 
ambitious  succeeding  popes  dr;;w,  first  into  example,  then  into 
custom  as  it  now  continueth.  He  sat  6  years  and  20  days,  and 
died,  A.  D.  7!4. 

XC  Georgius  the  second,  a  Roman  :  excommunicated  Leo  Isau- 
rus,  the  emperor,  for  standing  against  images ;  forced  Luit- 


POPES    OF    ROME.  287 

prandus,  king  ofltaly,  to  confirm  the  donations  of  his  predeces- 
sor  Vritiipt-st.     He  sat  7  years,  9  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  731. 

XCi.  '..ire,i(orius,  the  thiid,  a  Syrian  ;  espoused  the  quarrel  about . 
images  ;  i-xcoinmunicated  the  emperor  ;  drove  the  Greeks  out 
of  iialy  hy  the  L.  ml)ards,  and  afterwards  checked  the  Lom- 
bards by  the  assistance  of  the  French  under  the  conduct  of 
Charles  -iartell.     He  sat  ten  years:  died,  A.  D.  l-l. 

XCIl.  Zacharuis,  the  first,  a  Grecian,  deposed  Childerick,  king 
of  France,  and  hy  the  same  high  hand,  turned  Raches,  king  of 
L'^mbardy,  and  Caroloraan,  of  France,  from  their  thrones  to 
be  monks  He  held  the  chair  for  10  years  and  3  months,  and 
died,  A.  D.  751. 

XCHl.  Stephar  us,  the  second,  a  Roman  ;  he  excited  Pepin,  of 
France,  to  turn  Astolphus  out  of  Lombardy,  and  bestow  it  on 
the  pope,  for  freeing  him  of  his  oath ;  for  this  success  he  was 
the  first  that  was  carried  on  men's  shoulders.  He  sat  5  years 
and  I  month  ;  died  A.  D.  576. 

XGIV.  Paulus,  the  first,  a  Roman,  and  brother  of  Stephen  ;  ex- 
communicated Constantine  Copronipus,  the  emperor,  upon  the 
old  quarrel ;  he  was  an  honourer  of  saint  Petronella,  the  daugh- 
ter of  saint  Peter.  He  sat  10  years  and  1  month,  and  died, 
A. D.  766. 

XCV.  Stephanus,  the  third,  a  Sicilian:  he  brought  in  the  wor- 
shiping and  censing  of  images,  and  subjected  Milan  to  his  see. 
He  sat  5  years  and  5  mouths  :  died,  A.  D.  772. 

XCV'I.  Adrianus,  the  first:  this  pope  having  done  Charles  the 
Great  a  piece  of  service,  he,  to  reward  him,  confirmed  the  gift 
of  his  father  to  the  Roman  see;  adding  the  dukedoms  of  Spo- 
leto  and  Benevento  unto  it :  perhaps  they  call  this  Constan- 
tine's  donation.  He  sat  23  yrs.  10  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  795. 

LC  VH.  Leo,  the  third,  to  get  the  favor  of  Charles  the  Great,  pros- 
tituted his  keys  and  the  Roman  liberties  at  his  feet,  for  which 
the  Romans  plucked  him  from  his  horse  and  whipped  him ; 
Charles  coming  to  Rome  to  protect  the  pope,  is  pronounced 
emperor.     He  sat  21  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  816. 

XCVIH.  Stephanus,  the  fourth,  decreed  it  should  be  in  the  pow- 
er of  the  clergy  to  elect  the  pope,  but  not  to  consecrate  him, 
only  in  the  presence  of  the  emperor's  ambassador.  He  sat  but 
6  months  and  some  days. 

XCIX.  Paschal,  the  first,  caused  certain  parish  priests  to  be  call- 
ed cardinals  ;  they  are  companions  for  kings,  and  are  in  num- 
ber about  70,  but  more  or  less  at  the  pleasure  of  the  popes. 
He  sat  7  years  and  3  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  724. 

C.  Eugenius,  the,  second,  took  the  authorities  in  the  territories 
of  the  church,  to  create  dukes,  earls,  and  knights,  as  the  ex- 
archs of  Ravenna  used  to  do.  He  was  called  "the  father  of 
the  poor,''  and  sat  3  years.     Died,  A.  D.  827. 

CI.  Valentinius,  the  first,  was  a  man  too  good  to  hold  the  chair 
long  ;  great  were  his  accomplishments,  and  exemplary  his  life  ; 


288  POPES    OP    ROME. 

but  he  wag  soon  gone,  for  he  died  on  the  40fh  day  after  his 
election. 
CII.  Gregorius,  the  fourth:  in  his  time  the  luxury  of  the  clergy 
Avas  very  great,  against  which  a  synod  was  held  at  Aquisgrave. 
This  pope  sat  almost  18  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  844. 
cm.  Sergius,  the  second,  was  the  first  that  changed  his  disgrace- 
ful name,    Bocca  di   Porca,  or  swine's  mouth,  into  Sergius; 
which  precedent  his  successors  have  since  followed,  at  their 
creation  changing  their  names.     He  died,  A.  D.  847. 
CIV.  Leo,  the  fourth,  a  Roman  monk  :  he  compassed  the  Vati- 
can with  a  wall ;  gave  a  dispensation  to  Ethelwolfe  to  leave  his 
monastery,   and  reign  in  England ;  for  which  he  gratified  his 
holiness  with  yearly  Peter- pence.     He  sat  7  years,  3  months, 
and  6  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  854. 

CV.  Joan,  is  hy  most  confessed  to  be  a  woman,  and  is  usually 
called  pope  Joan.  To  avoid  this  like  disgrace,  the  porphyry 
chair  was  ordained.  She  died  in  child-birth  in  going  to  the 
Lateran,  A.  D.  854;  having  sat  only  a  few  months. 

CVI.  Benedictus,  the  third,  a  Roman,  was  withstood  by  one 
Anastasius,  but  to  no  purpose.  He  made  a  shew  of  great  hu- 
mility, and  therefore  would  not  be  buried  in,  but  without  the 
threshold  of  St.  Peter's  church.  He  sat  3  years,  6  months,  and 
9  days,  and  died  A.  D.  858. 

CVIF.  Nicholaus,  the  first,  was  the  first  that  prohibited  by  law 
marriage  to  the  Roman  clergy.  He  deprived  John  of  Raven- 
na, for  not  stooping  to  him.  He  sat  9  years,  9  months,  and  13 
days,  and  died,  A.  D.  868. 

CVIll.  Adrianus,  the  second  :  the  emperor's  ambassador  except- 
ed against  his  election,  but  had  a  delusive  answer.  The  empe- 
ror l>otharius  came  to  Rome  to  receive  absolution  of  him, 
which  has  been  much  insisted  upon.  He  sat  upwards  of  five 
years,  and  died,  A.  D.  874. 

CIX.  Johannes,  the  eighth,  crowned  three  emperors,  Charles  the 
Baid,  Charles  the  Gross,  and  Lewis.  He  held  a  council  at 
Trecas,  drove  the  Saracens  out  of  Italy  and  Sicily,  and  died, 
A.  D.  882  ;  having  sat  10 years  and  2  days,  and  was  buried  in 
St.  Peter's. 

ex.  Martinus,  the  second,  a  Frenchman;  died,  A.  D,  884;  ha- 
ving sat  only  I  year  and  5  months. 

CXI.  Adrianus,  the  third,  ordained  that  the  election,  or  confir- 
mation of  the  pope  should  no  longer  depend  on  the  empeior, 
but,  that  it  should  be  left  wholly  to  the  Roman  clergy.  He 
died  in  the  second  month  of  his  popedom,  A.  D.  885. 

CXIL  Stephanus,  the  fifth,  a  Roman :  he  abrogated  the  purging 
of  adultery  and  wilchgraft,  by  going  over  burning  coals,  and 
easting  the  suspected  into  water.  He  died,  A.  D.  89 1 ;  having 
sat  6  years  and  1 1  days. 

CXIII.  Formosus,  the  first,  was  so  hated,  that  pope  Stephen,  the 
sixth,  caused  his  body  to  be  unburied,  all  his  acts  reversed,  two 


POPES    OF    ROME.  289 

olhis  fingers  to  be  cut  off,  and  then  buried  among  the  laity. 
Sergius,  the  third,  took  him  up  again,  caused  his  head  to  be 
cut  off,  and  the  body  to  be  thrown  into  the  I'yber.  He  died 
the  6th  month  o(  his  6th  year,  A.  D.  897. 

CXIV.  Bonil'acius,  the  sixth,  a  Tuscan,  is  inserted  in  the  cata- 
logue only  because  he  was  rightly  elected.  He  died  upon  the 
26th  day  after  his  election. 

CXV.  Stephanus,  the  sixth,  a  Roman,  abrogated  all'  the  acts  of 
Formosus,  his  predecessor  :  which  afterwards  became  custom- 
ary, from  his  example,  the  following  popes  infringing,  ii  not 
fully  cancelling,  all  the  acts  of  their  immediate  ja-  decessors  ; 
this  pope  died,  .\.  D.  901  ;  the  3d  year  of  his  popedom. 

CXVI.  Komanus,  the  first,  a  Roman,  made  void  all  the  decrees 
and  acts  of  Stephanus  that  was  before  him.  He  died  in  the 
3d  month  of  his  popedom. 

CXVI.  Theodorus  the  second,  a  Roman,  restored  the  acts  of 
Formosus,  and  his  followers  were  in  great  esteem  with  him. 
In  his  time  the  Saracens  broke  into  Apulia,  and  made  great 
spoil ;  but  was  repelled  by  the  Italians.  The  pope  died,  A.  D. 
901  ;  having  sat  in  his  chair  only  twenty  dtys. 

CXVIII.  Johannes,  the  ninth,  a  Roma;i,  rebtored  the  acts  of  For- 
mosus ;  and  being  therein  opposed  bj'  the  people,  he  lied  to 
Ravenna,  summoned  a  council  of  stven"y-four  bishops,  who 
restored  the  acts  of  Formosus,  and  rescinded  those  of  ."Stephen. 
He  died,  A.  D.  904,  having  sat  3  y<  ars. 

CXIX  Benedictus,  the  lourth,  a  Roman,  for  his  humanity  and 
clemency  was  created  pope.  Platina  says,  that  in  a  bad  time 
he  preserved  much  gravity  and  constancy  in  his  life,  and  died, 
A.  D.  905,  a  few  months  after  obtaining  his  chair. 

CXX.  Leo,  the  fifth,  historians  give  no  account  of  his  country  : 
he  was  made  prisoner  by  his  familiar  friend,  Christopher,  and 
thereupon  is  thought  to  have  died  of  griel,  upon  the  40th  day 
alter  receiving  the  popedom. 

CXXl.  Christophorus,  the  first,  was  so  base  that  his  country  was 
not  known  :  having  obtained  the  chair  by  evil  arts,  he  svnri 
lost  it— was  thrust  into  a  monaster;^  the  then  only  refuge  for 
the  miserable,  and  this,  in  the  7th  month  of  his  usurpation  of 
the  seat  whereof  he  had  deprived  his  friend. 

CXXII.  Sergius,  the  third,  ordained  the  bearing  of  candles  at  the 
feast  of  the  purification  ot  the  Virgin  iviary,  from  thence  called- 
candlemass-day :  he  imprisoned  Christopher,  rescinded  the 
acts  of  Formosus,  and  died,  A.  D.  909,  having  sat  3  years  and 
4  months. 

CXXIII.  Anastasius,  the  third,  a  Roman,  affixed  no  mark  of  igno- 
Tniny  upon  any  of  his  predecessors,  and  lived  iiimseif  with  tiiat 
modesty  and  integrity,  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  reproach- 
ed in  him.     He  died  in  the  3d  year  of  his  popedom,  A.  D.  912. 
CXXIV.  Landus,  the  first,  a  Roman,  his  life  is  so  obscure  that 
25 


290  l>OPE.S    OF    ROME.. 

some  will  iioi  allow  him  a  place  among  the  popes.     Nothing  h 
said  of  him  hut  that  he  died  in  the  6th  month,  on  the  2l8t  day 
of  it,  and  was  buried  in  St.  Peter's,  A.  D.  912. 
CXXV.  Johannes,  the  tenth,  the  bastard  of  pope  Sergius,  over- 
threw the  Saracens.      In  a  sedition  he  was  taken  and  put  in 
bonds,  where  he  was  stifled  by  a  pillow,   A.  D.  928:  having 
sat  15  years,  2  months,  and  3  days. 
CXXVI.  Leo,  the  6th,  a  Roman,  a  modest  and  honest  man :  he 
took  care  of  the  service  of  God,  as  much  as  the  corruption  of 
that  time  would  admit  of.  He  died,  A.  D.  928 ;    having  sat  hut 
till  the  15th  day  of  his  7th  month,  much  lamented  by  the  Ro- 
mans. 
CXXVII.  Stephanus,  the  seventh,  a  Roman;  in  his  time  Speren* 
cus,  duke  of  Bohemia,  received  the  christian  faith.     The  pope 
himself  was  a  man  of  much  meekness  and  religion  :    he  died, 
A.  U.  931,  having  sat  2  years,  1  month,  and  12  days. 
CXXVIIl.  Johannes,  the  eleventh,  a  wicked,  cruel,  and  libidinous 
man;  was  taken  in  adultery,  and  slain,  by  the  husband  of  the 
woman,  A.  D  936.     He  was  supposed  to  have  poisoned  two 
hundred  persons,  among  whom  were  Leo  and  Stephen,  his  pre- 
decessors.    He  sat  4  years  and  10  months. 
CXJtlX.  Leo,  the  seventh,  a  Roman  :  in  his  time,  Boson,  bishop 
of  Placentia,    Theobald,  bishop  of  Milan,  and  another  great 
prelate,   were  all  bastards  of  king  Hugh,  by  his  concubines, 
Resola,  Rosa,  and  Stephana.     He  sat  3  years,   6  months  and 
10  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  939. 
CXXX.  Stephanus,  the  eighth,  a  German ;  vexed  with  seditions, 
and  in  them  so  delbrmed  with  wounds,   that  he  was  ashamed 
to  he  seen  in  public.    He  died  in  the  4th  year  of  his  papacy, 
A.  D   943.  . 

CXXXI.  Maitinus,  the  third,  a  Roman,  a  man  of  peace  and  pie- 
ty, rebuilt  ruinous  churches,  and  gave  great  alms  to  the  poor. 
He  died  in  the  4th  year  of  his  papacy,  A.  U.  946. 
CXXXll.  Agapetus,  the  second,  a  Roman  :  in  his  time  the  Hun- 
garians broke  into  Italy,  and  were  overcome,  in  two  set  battles 
by  Henry,  duke  of  Bavaria.  This  pope  was  a  man  of  great 
innocence,  and  died  in  the  10th  year  of  his  papacy,  A.  D.  955. 
CXXXIU.  Johannes,  the  twelfth,  a  man,  from  his  youth,  pollu- 
ted with  all  kinds  of  villany  and  dishonesty  ;  he  was  deposed 
by  Otho,  in  a  council,  and  slain  in  the  act  of  adultery,  A.  D. 
964,  in  the  9th  year  of  his  papacy,  _ 

CXXXI  V.  Leo  the  eighth,  crowned  Otho  emperor :  he  remitted 
unto  him  the  right  of  choosing  the  popes,  which  had  been  for 
some  time  in  the  band!=  of  the  clergy  and  people,  for  which  was 
ratiffed  unto  the  papacy,  Constantine's  (or  rather  Pepin's)  do- 
nation.—  He  died  in  his  first  year,  A.  D.  964. 
CXXXV.  Benedictus,  the  fifth,  a  Roman,  from  a  deacon,  advan- 
ced to  the  papacy ;  hut  the  emperor  did  not  approve  of  the 
election,  he  therefore  took  the  pope  with  him  into  Germany, 


POPES  OF   ROME.  '291 

who  died  ol"  grief,  at  Hamburg,  his  place  of  banishment,  A.  D. 
96 ',  having  sat  only  6  months  and  5  days. 
CXXXVI.  Johannes,  the  thirteenth,  bishop  of  Narnia,  was  also 
wearied  with  seditions,  and  imprisoned,  but  freed  by  the  empe- 
ror Otho.     In  his  time  bells  began  to  be  baptised,   and  had 
names  given  them.     He  died  in  his  8th  year,  A.  D.  972. 
CXXXVII.  Donus,  the  second,  a  man  of  great  modesty :  he  died  in 
the  Istyr.  of  liis  papacy,  and  was  buried  in  St.  Peter''s  A.D.  97?. 
CXXXVIIl.   Genenictus,  thetjth,  a  Roman,  first  imprisoned,  and 
then  strangled  in  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  by  Centius,  a  power- 
ful citizen,  A.D.  915.  Platina  fears  Benedict  deserved  all  he  suf- 
fered, because  none  stirred  in  his  quarrel.    He  died  in  his  2d  yr. 
CXXXIX.   Bonifacius,  the  seventh  ;  the  citizens  opposed  him,  he 
therefore  stole  the  church  ornaments  and  treasure,  and  fled  to 
Constantinople :    he   afterwards   returneo,  and   recovered   his 
place,  but  soon  after  died  of  an  apoplexy,  A.  D.  974,  having 
sat  only  7  months  and  5  days. 
CXL.  Benedictus,  the  seventh,  a  Roman,  he  turned  out  Gilbert, 
the  conjuror,  frons  the  archbishoprick  of  Ilhcims,  and  restored 
Arnulphus.      "  He  was  a  good  man,  (saith  Platina)  and  died, 
A.  D    984,  in  his  10th  year." 
CXLI.  Johannes  the  fourteenth,  was  taken  by  the  Romans,  and 
imprisoned  by  Ferrucius,   the  father  of  Boniface.     He  died  in 
his  3d  month,  with  famine,  grief  of  mind,   and  the  filth  of  his 
prison,  A.  D.  984. 
fJXLIl.  Johannes,  the  15th,  a  hater  of  the  clergy,  and  hated  by 
them  ;  he  was  all  for  enriching  his  kindred.     He  died  in  his  8th 
month,  saith  Platina  :  by  others  he  is  supposed  to  have  died  l)e- 
fore  his  ordination,  and  omitted  in  the  catalogue  of  the  popes. 
CXLIII.  Johannes,  the  sixteenth,  reputed  a  great  scholar:  he  was 
driven  from  Rome  into   Hetruria,  by  Cresentius,   the  Roman 
-      consul,    but  he  submitting  himself,   John  returned.     He  died, 
A.  D.  996,  in  the  1  Ith  year  of  his  papacy. 
CXLI  V.  Gregorius,  the  fifth,  projected  the  election  of  the  future 
emperors  by  the  princes  of  Germany,  by  which  the  Germans 
were  distracted  into  factions,  and  the  Romans  weakened,  by 
this  means  the  popes  were  ultimate!)'  exalted  above  kings  or 
emperors.     He  sat  3  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  999. 
CXLV.  Sylvester,  the  second,  a  Frenchman,  first  called  Gerbe- 
tus,  a  magician.     He  is  said  to  have  contracted  with  the  devil 
for  the  papacy,  of  which  he  afterwards  repented.     He  died, 
having  sat  3  years  aiid  10  days,  A.  D.  1003. 
CXLVl.  Johannes,   the  seventeenth,   was  given  to  magic.     He 
took  the  choice  of  the  popes  from  the  people,  appointed  the 
feast  of  All  Souls,  and  died,  the  20th  day  of  the  4th  month  of 
his  papacy,  A.  D.  1003. 
CLXVII.  Johannes,  the  l!Uh,  crowned  the  emperor  Conrade,  and 
was  also  protected  by  him.  Hp  died  in  his  7th  year  A.  D.  1009. 
CXLVIII,  Scrgius,  the" fourth,  was  the  first,   that  on  Christmfts 


292  POPES  OF  ROME. 

bight  consecrated  swords,  roses,  or  the  like,  to  be  seat  as  t6' 
kens  of  love  and  honor,  to  such  princes  as  deserved  best,  and 
^  whom  he  desired  to  obhge.  He  died,  A.  D.  1012 
CXiAX.  Benedictus,  the  eighth,  a  Tuscan  ;  he  crowned  the  em- 
peror Henry.  In  bis  tin>e  there  was  so  great  a  plague,  that 
the  living  scarce  sufficed  to  bury  the  dead.  He  died  in  his 
13lh  year,  A.  D.   1024. 

4JL.  Johannes,  the  nineteenth,  SOD  to  the  bishop  of  Portua  ;  some 
say  not  in  orders  before  he  took  the  popedom.  Platina  says, 
he  vv<\s  a  man  of  excellent  life,  and  died,  upon  the  9th  day  of 
the  1  Hh  year  of  his  papacy,  A.  D.  1034. 

<,'LI.  Benedictus,  the  ninth,  a  conjuror,  was  wont,  (with  Lau- 
rence and  Gracean,  conjurors  also,  whom  he  had  made  cardi- 
nals,) (o  wander  in  the  woods  to  invoke  devils,  and  bewitch 
women  to  follow  them.  He  sat  10  years,  4  months  and  9  days, 
and  was  deposed,  A.  D.  1043. 

<,'LII.  Sylvester,  the  fifth,  was  made  pope  while  Benedict  was 
living,  but  the  other  soon  recovered  his  seat.  When  Sylvester 
had  sat  but  49  days,  he  created  Casimer,  a  monk,  king  of  Po- 
land.    He  is  seldom  esteemed  as  pope. 

CLIH.  Gregorius,  the  sixth,  received  the  keys  when  there  were 
three  popes  extant  at  one  time ;  but  Henry,  the  emperor,  ex- 
pelled Benf-dict,  Sylvester,  and  Gregory,  (this  last  having  sat 
2  years  and  7  months,)  A.  D.  104G 

CLIV.  Climes,  the  secoad  :  he  made  the  Piomans  renounce,  by 
oath,  tlie  right  they  claimed  of  clioosing  popes;  but  Henry, 
the  emperor  being  gone,  they  poisoned  this  pope,  A.  D.  1047, 
when  he  sat  not  full  9  months. 

CLV.  Damasus,  the  second,  a  Bavarian,  without  consent  of  the 
clergy  or  people,  seiz.d  on  the  popedom  ;  but  he  enjoyed  it 
only  a  short  time,  for  he  died  upon  the  23d  daj^  after  his  usur- 
pation. 

CLvI.  Leo,  the  ninth,  a  German,  a  man  of  great  piety,  inno- 
cence and  hospitality  to  strangers  and  the  poor.  At  Versailles 
he  held  a  counicil  against  Berengarius.  He  sat  5  years,  2 
months  and  6  days,  and  died,  A.  U.  1054. 

eLVli.  Victor,  the  second,  a  Bavarian,  made  pope  by  favor  of 
Henry,  the  emperor.  He  held  a  great  council  at  Florence,  de- 
prived divers  bisliops  for  fornication  and  simony,  and  died  in 
his  3d  year,  A.  D.  1055. 

CLVIII.  Stephanus,  the  tiinth,  brought  the  church  of  Milan  under 
the  obedience  of  the  popes  of  Rome,  which,  till  that  time, 
challenged  equality  with  them.  He  died  at  Florence,  the  8th 
day  of  his  7th  month,  A.  D.  1057. 

CLIX.  Benedictus  the  tenth,  a  Campanian,  made  pope  by  the  fac- 
tion of  nobles;  but  by  a  council  held  at  Sutrinum,  he  was  de- 
posed and  banished,  having  sat  8  months  and  20  days. 

CLX.  Nicholas,  the  second,  took  from  the  Uoman  clergy,  the 
election  of  the  popes,  and  gave  it  to  the  college  of  cardinals  •• 


iPOi'ES  OF  ROxME.  293 

csused  Berf'ngarius  to  recant  his  opinion  against  transubstan- 
tialion,  and  died  in  his  3d  year,  A.  D.  1061. 

CLXI.  Aiexander  the  2d,  a  Miiinese,  inclining  to  the  emperror's 
right  in  choosing  the  popes,  was  imprisoned  and  poisoned  by 
Hildebrand,  A.  D.  107J;'  having  sat  12  years  and  6  months. 

CLXII.  Gregorius,  the  seventh,  commonly  called  Hildebrand,  a 
turbulent  man,  excommunicated  the  emperor,  Henry  W.  but 
after  many  vicissitudes,  the  emperor  compelled  him  to  fly  from 
Rome.  He  died  in  exile,  in  his  12th  year,  A.  D.  1085.  He 
was  the  last  pope  whose  election  was  sent  to  the  empercr  for 
confirmation. 

CLXIII.  Victor,  the  third,  an  Italian,  defended  all  the  acts  ot 
Gregory;  but,  not  long  after,  he  was  poisoned,  by  his  sub-dea- 
con, in  the  chalice,  having  sat  10  months. 

CLXIV.  Urbanus,  the  second,  a  Hetrurian,  excommunicated  the 
emperor,  set  all  Christendom  in  commotion,  and  thence  was 
called  Turbulens.  He  died  in  the  twelfth  vear  of  his  papacy, 
A.  D.  1099. 

CLXV.  Paschalis,  the  second,  caused  the  emperor,  Henry  IV.  to 
submit  to  him,  and  attend  barefoot  at  hh  door ;  he  also  ex- 
communicated Henry  V.  and  interdicted  priest's  marriages. 
He  sat  1 9  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1 1 1 8. 

CLXV^I.  Gelasius,  the  'znd,  a  Campanian,  was  vexed  with  sedi- 
tions all  hi.s  time  :  some  say,  the  knights  templars  had  their  be- 
ginning in  his  papacy.     He  satl  year,  and  died,  A   D.  1119. 

CLXVH.  Cclestus,  the  second,  a  Burgundian  :  he  appointed  the 
four  fasts,  decreed  it  adultery  for  a  bishop  to  forsake  his  see, 
and  interdicted  priests  marriages.  He  sat  5  years,  10  months 
and  6  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  1124. 

CIjXVIII.  Honorius  the  second,  a  lover  of  learned  men.  Arnul- 
phus,  an  Englishman  was  murdered  in  his  time,  for  taxing  the 
vices  of  the  clergy.  He  died  lamented,  A.  D.  1130;  having 
sat  6  years  and  2  months. 

CLXIX.  Innocentius,  the  second,  opposed  by  an  antipope,  called 
Anaclutus.  He  ordained  that  none  of  the  laity  should  lay 
hands  on  any  of  the  clergy,  and  died,  in  the  14th  year  and  7th 
month  of  his  papacy,  A.  U.  1143. 

CLXX.  Celestinus,  the  second,  was  the  innventor  of  that  mad 
manner  of  cursing,  with  bell,  book,  and  candle  ;  besides  which, 
it  is  only  said  of  him,  that  he  died  in  the  5th  month  of  his  pa- 
,  Pacy. 

CLXXI.  Lucius,  the  2d,  a  Bononian  :  he  mightily  incited  men  to 
the  holy  war.  In  his  time,  a  synod  was  held  in  Fraace,  against 
Peter  Abelard,  %vho  thereupon  changed  his  opinion.  Lucius 
sat  11  months  snd  4  days,  and  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1145. 

CLXXII.  E'jgenus,  the  third,  a  Pisan,  a  monk  ofthe  abbey  of  St. 
Bernard  :  he  would  not  permit  the  Romans  to  choose  their  own 
senators.  He  died,  A.  D.  1 153 ;  having  sat  8  yrs.  and  4  months 
25  * 


^94 


POPES  OP  ROME, 


CLXXIII.  Anasiasius,  the  fourth,  a  Roman :  in  his  time,  th«re 
was  a  famine  all  over  Europe.  He  gave  a  great  chalice  to  the 
church  ot  Lateran,  and  died,  A.  D.  1134  ;  having  sat  1  year, 

CLXXIV.  Adrianus,  the  4th,  an  Englishman,  (the  only  one  who 
ever  attained  tliis  station  :)  he  forced  Frederick,  the  emperor,  to 
hold  his  stirrup ;  and  then,  excommunicated  him  for  claiming  his 
rigl:t  to  signing  his  name  before  the  popes.  Being  choked  with 
a  fly,  at  Anagnia,  he  died,  A.  D  11  j9  ;  having  sat  5  yrs.  and  10 
months,  leaving  some  letters  and  homilies,  which  are  Ftill  extant, 

CLXXv'.  Alexander  the  third:  he  excommunicated  the  empe- 
peror,  Frederick  I.  and  obliged  him  to  prostrate  himself  at  his 
feel,  when  he  (the  pope)  trod  on  his  n€ck.  He  sat  22  years, 
and  died,  A.  D.  1181, 

CLXXV'I.  Lucius,  tin;  3d,  strove  to  abolish  the  Roman  consuls, 
for  which  he  was  fi>rced  to  quit  Home,  and  retire  to  Verona> 
where  he  died,  A.  D.  1 185  ;  having  sat  4  years  and  2  months 

CLXXIII.  Urbanus,  the  third,  a  Milanese  :  in  his  time  Jerusa- 
lem was  taken  by  Saladine  :  with  grief  whereof  the  pope  died, 
A.  D.  1 186.     He  sat  1  year  and  10  months. 

CLXXVIII.  Gregorius,  the  eighth,  incited  the  Christian  princes 
to  the  recovery  of  Jerusalem,  in  which  endeavours  he  died,  in 
the  57th  day  of  his  papacy. 

CLXXIX.  Clement,  the  third,  excommunicated  the  Danes,  for 
maintaining  the  marriages  of  their  clergy  ;  composed  the  dif- 
ferences at  Rome,  and  died,  A.  D.  1191,  m  the  4th  year  of  his 
papacy. 

CLXXX.  Celestinus,  the  third,  put  the  crown  on  the  emperor's 
head  with  his  feet,  and  then  struck  it  off  again,  saying,  "  per 
me  reges  regnant."     He  sat  7  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1 198. 

CLXXXf .  Innocentius,  the  3d,  brought  in  the  doctrine  of  transub- 
stantiafion  ;  ordained  a  pix  to  cover  the  host,  and  a  bell  to  be 
rung  before  it ;  and  first  imposed  auricular  confession  upon  the 
people.     He  sat  18  years,  and  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1216. 

CLXXXII.  Honorjus,  the  third,  who  confirmed  the  orders  of  Do- 
minick  and  Francis,  and  set  them  against  the  Waldenses  ;  ex- 
acted two  prebends  of  every  cathedral  in  England.  He  sat  11 
years  and  11  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  1227. 

GLXXXIII.  Gregorius,  the  ninth,  thrice  excommunicated  the 
emperor  Frederick.  In  his  time  began  the  deadly  feuds  of  the 
papal  Guelphs,  and  the  imperial  Gibbelines.  He  sat  14  years 
and  3  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  1241. 

CLXXXl  V.  Celestinus  the  fourth,  a  man  of  great  learning  and 
piety  ;  but  being  very  old,  and  perhaps  poisoned  at  his  en- 
trance, he  kept  his  seat  but  18  days. 

GLXXXV.  Innocentius  the  fourth,  in  a  council  at  Lyons,  depo- 
sed the  emperor  Frederick.  Terrified  with  a  dream,  of  his 
being  cited  to  judgment,  he  died,  A.  D.  1253:  having  sat  11 
years  and  6  months. 

©LXXXVl.  Alexander  the  foortb,  condemned  the  book  of  WH 

i 


POPES  OF  ROME.  295 

Uam  de  Sancto  Amore,  sainted  Clara,  pillaged  England  of  its 
treasure,  and  died  at  Veterbium,  A.  D.  1160,  in  the  7th  year 
of  his  papacy. 

CLXXXVIl.  Urbaaus  the  fourth,  formerly  patriarch  of  Jerusa- 
lem :  he  instituted  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi  day,  solicited 
thereto  by  Eva,  an  anchoress.  He  sat  3  years,  1  month  and 
4  days,  and  died,  A   D.  1264. 

CLXXXVIII.  Clement  the  fourth,  the  greatest  lawyer  in  France, 
had,  before  his  election,  a  wife  and  three  children ;  sent  Octo- 
benus  into  England  to  take  the  value  of  all  church  revenues. 
He  sat  4  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1268.  After  him  was  a  va- 
cancy of  two  years. 

GLXXXIX.  Gregory  the  tenth,  an  Italian,  held  a  council  at  Ly- 
ons, whereat  was  present,  Michael  Paliologu*,  the  Greek  em- 
peror, who  acknowledged  there,  the  procession  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  from  Father  and  Son.  This  pope  sat  4  years,  2  months 
and  10  days,  and  died,  A.  D.  1276. 

CXC.  Adrianus  the  fifth,  a  Genoese,  before  called  Octobonus, 
and  legate  in  England,  in  the  days  of  Henry  111.  He  died  be- 
fore he  was  consecrated,  in  the  fortieth  day  of  his  popedom. 

CXCI.  Johannes  the  twentieth,  a  Spaniard,  and  physician  ;  tho' 
a  learned  man,  yet  unskilled  in  affairs.    He  sat  but  8  months. 

CXCIl.  Nicholas  the  third,  first  practised  to  enrich  his  kindred. 
He  raised  a  quarrel  between  the  French  and  Sicilians,  which 
occasioned  the  massacre  of  the  Sicilian  vesper.  He  sat  3  years, 
and  was  then  succeeded,  A.  D.  1281. 

CXCIH.  Martinus  the  fourth,  a  Frenchman.  He  kept  the  con-^ 
cubine  of  his  predecessor,  Nicholas  ;  removed  all  pictures  of 
bears  from  Ihe  palace,  lest  his  concubine  should  bring  forth  a 
bear.     He  sat  4  years  and  died,  A.  D.  1285. 

CXCIV.  Honorius  the  fourth,  confirmed  the  Augustine  friars,  and 
caused  the  Carmelites  to  be  called  "  our  Lady's  brethren."  He 
died,  A.  D.  12o7  ;  having  sat2  years  and  1  day. 

CXCV,  Nicholas  the  fourth,  preferred  persons  solely  out  of  res- 
pect to  their  virtue,  and  died  of  grief,  to  see  church  and  state 
in  a  remediless  confusion  ;  having  sat  4  years  and  one  month, 
A.  D.  1292.     After  him  was  a  vacancy  for  two  years. 

CXCVl.  Celestinus  the  fifth,  a  hermit,  was  easily  prevailed  onto 
quit  the  chair ;  the  cardinals  persuading  him  that  it  was  above 
his  ability :  he  resigned,  was  imprisoned,  and  died  ;  having 
sat  5  months  only. 

CXC  VII.  Bonifacius  the  eighth,  by  his  general  bull,  exempted  the 
clergy  from  being  chargeable  with  taxes  and  payments  to  tem- 
poral princes  ;  first  set  forth  the  decretals,  and  established  the 
feast  of  Jubilee.  He  sat  9  years  and  was  succeeded,  A.  D. 
1303. 

CXC  VIII.  Benedictus  the  tenth,  a  Lombard,  was  a  man  of  great 
humility,  and  desire4  to  compose  all  broils  ;  but  was  poisoBed 


296  POPES    OP    ROME. 

by  a  fig,  A.  D.  1303;  having  sat  8  months  and  17  days— After 
him  v/as  a  vacancy  of  eleven  months. 
CXCIX.  Clement  the  fifth,  first  made  indulgences  and  pardonj, 
saleable.  He  removed  the  papal  see  from  Rome  to  Avignon, 
in  France,  where  it  continued  for  seven  years.  He  sat  8  years 
and  died,  A.  D.  1315.  In  his  time  the  order  of  the  knights 
templars  was  extinguished,  and  the  grand  master,  with  many 
of  the  brethren,  were  burnt  at  Paris. 

CC.  Johannes,  the  twenty-first :  he  sainted  Thomas  Aquinas,  and 
Thomas  of  Hereford  ;  challenged  supremacy  over  the  Greek 
church,  and  died,  having  sat  18  years  and  four  months,  A.  D. 
1234. 

CCI.  Benedictus  the  eleventh,  a  man  of  that  constancy,  as  by  no 
means  to  be  swayed  from  that  which  he  thought  right.  He 
died,  A.  D.  1342,  in  the  9th  year  of  his  papacy. 

ecu.  Clement  (he  sixth.  A  dreadful  pestilence  was  in  his  time, 
in  Italy,  so  that  scarcely  a  tenth  man  remained  alive.  He 
died,  A.  D.  1352  ;  having  sat  10  years,  6  months,  and  28  days. 

CCIII.  Innocentius  the  sixth,  a  lawyer,  burnt  John  de  Rupe 
Scessa,  for  foretelling  shrewd  things  of  antichrist.  He  sat  10 
years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1362. 

CCIV.  Urbanus  the  fifth,  a  great  stickler  for  popish  privileges  : 
he  confirmed  the  order  of  St.  Bridget.  Being  poisoned,  as  it  is 
thought,  he  died,  A.  D.  1370 ;  having  sat  8  years  and  4  months. 

(;;CV.  Gregorius  the  eleventh,  returned  the  papal  chair  to  Rome, 
he  excommunicated  the  Florentines  ;  sat  7  years  and  5  months, 
and  died,  A.  D.  1377. 

CCVI.  Urbanus,  the  sixth.  Gunpowder  was  invented  in  his 
time.  He  made  fifty-four  cardinals  ;  held  a  jubilee  to  gather 
money,  and  died,  A.  D.  1389 ;  having  sat  11  years  and  8  months. 

CCVII.  Bonifacius  thenintii,  scarce  thirty  years  old,  when  made 
pope  ;  very  ignorant,  and  a  great  seller  of  church  livings.  He 
sat  14  years  and  9  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  1403. 

CCVIII.  Innocentius  the  seventh,  demanded  the  money  of  eccle- 
siastical benefices,  both  in  France  and  England ;  but  was  stout- 
ly dienied.     He  sat  but  2  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1406. 

CCIX.  Gregorius  the  twelfth,  swore  to  resign  for  the  peace  of 
the  church  ;  but  a  collusion  being  discerned  between  him  and 
Benedict,  both  were  arrested,  A.  D.  1409. 

CCX.  Alexander  the  fifth,  a  Cretan,  a  man  of  great  sanctity 
and  learning  :  he  deposed  Ladislaus,  king  of  Naples  and  A- 
pulia,  and  sat  but  8  months. 

CCXI.  Johannes,  the  XXH.,  (of  Naples ;)  by  his  consent,  a  coun- 
cil was  assembled  at  Constance,  where  he  himself  was  deposed, 
A.  D.  1414.     After  him,  was  a  vacancy  of  almost  3  years. 

CCXII.  Martinus  the  fifth,  condemned  Wicklilf,  burned  John 
Huss,  and  Jerome,  of  Prague,  his  followers.  He  sat  14  years 
and  some  months,  and  died,  A.  D.  1431. 

CCXni.  Eugenius  the  fourth,  a  Venetian,  refused  to  appear  a* 


POPES    OF    ROME.  297 

the  council  of  Basil,  which  thereupon  deposed  him,  A.  D. 
1447.     He  sal  16  years. 

eCXlV.  Nicholas  the  filth,  (of  Genoa  :)  in  his  time  the  Turks 
took  Constantinople.  He  built  the  Vatican,  and  died  in  the 
eighth  year  of  his  papacy. 

CCXV.  Celestus  the  third,  a  Spaniard,  sent  preachers  through- 
out Europe,  to  animate  princes  to  war  against  the  Turks.  He 
sat  but  three  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1^58. 

CCXVl.  Pius  the  second,  an  Italian,  approved  of  the  marriage 
of  the  clergy  ;  and  turned  out  numerous  cloistered  nuns.  He 
sat  6  years,  and  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1464. 

CCXVIl.  Faulus,  the  second  ;  he  exceeded  all  his  predecessors 
in  pomp  and  show  ;  enriched  his  mitre  with  all  kinds  of  pre- 
cious stones  ;  honoured  the  cardinals  with  a  scarlet  gown,  and 
reduced  the  jubilee  from  fifty  to  twenty-five  years.  He  sat  7 
years,  and  died,  A.  U.  1471. 

CCXVIII  Sixtus,  the  fourth,  ordained  a  guard  to  tend  his  per- 
son ;  was  the  first  founder  of  the  \'aticaa  library,  and  brought 
in  beads.     He  "at  13  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  14b4. 

CCXiX.  Innocentius,  the  eighth,  of  Genoa  ;  much  given  to  ex- 
cess in  drinking  and  venery.  He  sat  7  years,  and  10  months, 
and  died,  A.  D.  1492. 

CCXX.  Alexander  the  sixth,  first  openly  acknowledged  his  ne- 
phews (as  they  call  their  natural  sons)  to  be  his  sons ;  was  inces- 
tuous with  his  daughter,  audditd,  \.  D.  1503,  of  poison,  which 
was  given  him  in  mistake,  by  his  servants,  instead  of  some  car- 
dinals, whom  he  had  invited  to  an  entertainment,  and  for  whom 
he  had  prepared  it. 

CCXXl.  Pius,  the  third,  propos^  to  compel  all  Frenchmen  to 
leave  Italy  ;  but  died,  in  the  interim,  of  an  ulcer  in  his  leg ; 
having  sat  but  2o  days. 

CCXXIl.  Julius,  the  second,  more  a  soldier  than  a  prelate,  pas- 
sing over  a  bridge  of  the  Tiber,  threw  his  key  into  the  river, 
and  brandished  nis  sword;  excommunicated  Lewis,  of  France, 
sat  10  years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1513. 

CCXXIII.  Leo,  the  tenth,  burnt  Luther''s  books,  declaring  him  a 
heretic;  Luther  did  the  like  at  Wirtem'ierg,  with  the  pope's 
canon  law,  declaring  him  a  persecutor,  tyrant,  and  the  very 
antichrist.     Leo  died,  A.  D.  1522. 

CCXX  V.  Adrian,  the  sixth,  a  Low-countryman,  made  shew,  at 
his  entrance,  of  reformation  ;  hut  was  diverted  :  the  Lutherans 
began  to  spread,  and  the  Turks  to  approach  ;  these,  and  other 
things,  broke  him  so  that  he  died  in  his  second  year,  A.D.I  523. 

CCXXV.  Clement  the  seventh,  of  Florence,  in  his  time  Rome  was 
sacki^d,  and  the  pope  made  prisoner,  by  the  duke  of  Bourbon  ; 
and  the  pope's  supremicy  was  cast  off,  in  England,  by  Henry 
VIH.     Some  say  that  he  died  of  the  lousy  disease,  A.  D.  1534, 

CCXXVL  Paul  the  third,  called  the  council  of  Trent ;  prostitu- 
ted his  sister ;  committed  incest  with  his  daughter,  and  poison- 


298  POPES    OF    ROME. 

ed  her  husband  ;  attempted  the  chastity  of  his  niece,  and  beilig 
found  in  the  fact,  was  marked  by  hei  husband.  He  was  a  ne- 
cromancer, i.  e.  an  astronomer  :  he  was  learned  and  judicious, 
and  wrote  well  in  verse  and  prose,  and  corresponded  with  E- 
rasmus,  and  other  learned  men  of  his  time.  He  died,  A.  D. 
1549,  aged  8-2. 

CCXXVII.  Julius  the  third,  gave  a  cardinal's  hat  to  a  sodomiti- 
cal  boy,  called  Innoccntius  :  in  his  tiine,  Casa,  archbishop  of 
Bonaventum,  printed  a  book  in  detience  of  sodomy.  England 
reconciled  to  tiie  mother  church  in  queen  Mary's  time.  Julius 
died,  A.  D.  1555. 

CCXXVIII.  Marcellus  the  second,  a  Hetruscan  ;  he  esteemed  the 
Lutherans  worse  than  Turks,  and  persuaded  Charles  V.  and 
Ferdinand  rather  to  turn  their  forces  agaiast  them.  He  was 
pope  hut  twenty-three  days. 

CCXXlX.  Paul  the  fourth,  the  Neapolitan,  a  great  patron  of  the 
Jesuits  and  their  inquisition,  in  which  had  been  made  away 
one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  for  religion.  Being  hated  for 
his  crut^lty,  after  his  death  A.  D.  i569,  his  statue  was  cast  into 
the  '['iber. 

CCXXX.  Pius  the  fourth,  continued  the  council  of  Trent,  brought 
it  to  an  end,  and  thereby  settled  and  confirmed  the  interest  of 
The  church  of  Rome.  His  legates  were  forbid  footing  in  Eng- 
land, by  queen  Elizabeth.  Venery  and  luxury  shortened  this 
pope's  days,  and  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1566. 

CCXX.X1I.  Gregorius  the  thirteenth,  a  Bononian.  The  massacre 
at  Paris  was  by  this  man's  procurement  ;  he  altered  the  calen- 
dar to  his  new  style,  which  anticipates  the  old  account  10  days ; 
he  excommunicated  and  ousted  the  archbishop  of  Collen  be- 
cause he  married  :  would  have  deposed  the  king  of  Portugal, 
but  was  prevented-  He  sat  1 3  years,  and  then  was  succeeded, 
A.  U.  1585. 

CCXXXUI.  Sixtus  the  fifth,  of  Marca  Ancona  :  his  parents  were 
90  poor  that,  when  a  hoy,  he  was  hired  as  a  swineherd,  but  ran 
away,  and  attached  himself  to  a  Franciscan  friar,  saying  he 
'  would  willingly  *-ufier  the  pains  of  purgatory  to  be  made  a 
scholar  '  By  his  perseverance,  talents  and  learning,  he  obtain- 
ed the  highest  honors  of  the  convent.  His  ambition  was  bound- 
less, when  hut  a  ragged  errand  boy  to  the  friars,  he  promised 
to  '  pay  for  a  pair  of  shoes  when  he  should  be  pope.''  His 
hypocrisy  was  equal  to  his  ambition,  for  when  Pius  V.  gave 
him  a  cardinal's  hat,  (at  which  time  he  assumed  the  name  of 
cardinal  Montalo,)  he  affected  a  total  disregard  of  all  sncular 
concerns,  and  for  fifteen  years,  pretended  to  be  decrijtit  with  age 
and  disease,  so  as  scarcely  to  move,  even  with  a  stafl".  Upon 
pope  Gregory's  death,  the  conclave  being  divided  between  the 
interest  of  the  French  and  Spanish  cardinals,  and  each  fearing 
to  risk  the  decision,  they  proposed  the  pontificate  to  Montalto, 
l^ut  he  told  the  parties  separately,  'he  was  too  feeble  to  govern, 


POPES    OP    ROME.  299 

and  too  old  to  live  long  ;  that  the  care  of  the  holy  see  must  rest 
upon  them,  if  he  was  chosen  pontiff:^  this  fixed  their  decision. 
As  soon  as  the  votes  were  counted,  he  threw  away  his  staff,  and 
called  for  the  sacred  robe  ;  whicii,  as  the  cardinals  assisted  ia 
putting  on,  he  pronounced  a  sovereign  panacea  ;  to  one  of 
them,  who  remarked  the  change  in  his  person,  he  replied,  '  yes, 
I  was  then  looking  for  the  keys  of  heaven,  but  now,  that  I  have 
found  them,  I  may  look  upwards.  When  cardinal  I'"'arnese 
tendered  his  services  in  the  duties  of  office,  he  dismissed  him, 
gravely  saying,  that  he  needed  no  assistance,  but  found  himself 
capable  of  governing  two  such  empires.  Notwithstanding  the 
means  hy  which  he  attained  the  triple  crown,  he  used  his  power 
to  the  benefit  of  the  citizens  of  Rome,  by  suppressing  assassins, 
and  checking  many  vices  ;  firmly  adhering  to  the  motto  he 
assumed  with  the  pontificate  ;  "  I  came  not  to  send  peace  upon 
earth,  but  a  sword."  He  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  there  were 
but  three  potentates  at  that  time,  capable  of  governing  ;  Six- 
tus  v.,  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  Henry  IV.,  of  France  and  Na- 
varre ;  although  he  had  excommunicated  them  both.  Sixtus 
died,  A.  D.  1390. 
CCXXXIV.  Urbanus  the  seventh,  a  Genoese,  ascended  the  chair 
after  him  :  he  enjoyed  his  popedom  but  one  fortnight,  dying 

before  his  inauguration. 
CCXXXV.  Gregorius  the  fourteenth,  of  "vlilan  :  he  held  a  jubilee, 

and  exhausted  the  treasury  of  the  church,  which  Sixtus  before 
had  sealed  by  an  oath,  to  be  employed  in  the  recovery  of  the 

Holy  Land  :  he  cursed  king  Henry,  of  xNavarre,  as  a  relapsed 

heretic :  his  bulls  were  burnt  by  the  hands  of  the  hangman. 

He  died  of  the  stone,  before  he  had  sat  1  year. 
CCXXXVl.  Innocentius  theninih,  a  Bononian,  forthe  two  months 

he  was  in,  expressed  a  hatred  against  the  king  of  Navarre,  and 

a  good  liking  for  the  Jesuits.     1  year,   4  months,  and  3  days, 

made  an  end  of  four  popes,  A.  D.  1532. 
CCXXXVII.  Clement  the  eighth,  made  Henry,  of  France,  turn 

papist  to  be  quiet :  was  much  troubled  with  the  gout,  but  eased 

as  he   said,    when  the   archduke   Maximilian  kissed  his  gouty 

toes.     He  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1604. 
CCXXXV'III.   Leo  the  eleventh  :  he  came  in  with  this  motto  over 

his  triumphal  pageant,  "  Dignus  est  Leo  in  virtute  agni  acci- 

peri  librum  &  solveri  septem  signaculi  ejus  ;  but  a  fever  ended 

h'm  before  hf  had  sat  twenty-eight  days. 
CCXXXIX.  Paul  the  fifth,  an  Italian,  promoted  the  powder  plot : 

interdicted  t.e  state  of  Venice,  whereupon  the  Jesuits   were 

banished  ;  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  king  James  was  forbidden 

by  breves  from  this  pope.     He  sat   16  years. 
CCXL.  Gregorius  the   fifteenth,  a  Bononian,   obtained  the  see  ; 

elected  by  way  of  adoration  ;  he  instigated  the  French  against 

the  protestants  ;  sainted  Ignatius  Loyola,  and  quarrelled  with 

the  Venetians.     He  sat  2  years. 


300  POPES    OF    ROME. 

CCXLI.  Urbanus  the  eighth,  a  Florentine,   was  chosen   A.   D. 

1263  ;  he  advanced  his  kindred      In  his  time  the  archbishop  of 

Spoleta  turned  from  papist  to  protestant,   and  Irom  thence  to 

papist  again      He  was  a  more  polite  scholar  than  most  of  them, 

and  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1644. 
CCXLI'.  Innocentius  the  tenth,  sat  11  years. 
CCXLIII.  Alexander  the  seventh,  was  chosen,  A.  D.  1655  ;  sat 

12  years,  and  then  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1667. 
CCXLIV.  Cleii  c!nt  the  ninth,  sat  three  years. 
CCXLV.  CJcment  the  tenth,   obtained  the  chair,  A.  D.  1670, 

and  sat  six  years. 
CCXLVl,   Innocent  the  eleventh,  obtained  the  chair  in  1675,  and 

continued  13  years. 
CCXLVII.   Alexander  the  eighth,  made  pope,  A.  D.  1689  ;  and 

sat  2  years. 
CCXLVII!.  Innocent  the  twelfth,  came  in,  A.  D.  1691  ;  and  sat 

upwards  of  8  years. 
CCXLIX.  Clemen^,  the   eleventh,  succeeded,  A.  D.  1700;  and 

sat  21  years  ;  dying,  A.  D.  1721. 
CCL.  Innocent,   the    thirteenth,  made   pontiff;  he    sat   near  3 

years,  and  died,  A.  D.  1724. 
CCLI.   Benedict  the  thirteenth,  sat  upwards  of  5  years  ;  dyinc:, 

A.  D.  1730. 
CCLII.  Clement  the  twelfth,   obtained  the  popedom,  which   he 

held  10  years,  and  was  succeeded,  A.  D.  1740. 
CCLIII.  Benedict  the  fourteenth,  who  sat  18  years  ;  died,  A.  D. 

1758. 
CCLIV.  Clement  the  thirteenth,  who  died,  A.  D.  1769, 
CCLV.  Clement  the  fourteenth,  who  died,  A.  D.  1775 
CCLVI.  Pius  the  sixth  ;  he  visited  Vienna,  1782,   to  solicit  the 

emperor  in  '"avorof  the  church  ;  took  shelter  from  the  French, 

in  Naples,  1796  ;  quitted  Home,  when  the  French  took  posses- 
sion, Feb.  1798  ;  died,  the  prisoner  of  Buonaparte,  Sept.  1799. 
CCLVil.   Pius  the  seventh  ;  crowned  Buonaparte  emperor  of  the 

French,  Dec.  2,  1804  ;  deprived  of  all  his  territories  by  Buon- 

iiparte,  1808  ;  prisoner  of  Buonaparte,  1811. 


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